Slavers of the Savage Catacombs (16 page)
Read Slavers of the Savage Catacombs Online
Authors: Jon F Merz
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Epic, #General, #Historical
C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-SIX
Cassandra struggled as the guards hauled her away. Mithrus whistled as he exited the chamber, leaving Ran with the two men pinning his arms behind him. Zal was wiping his eyes and then stared at Ran without blinking. “Mithrus truly is a sick man. I imagine that poor woman is in for a rather rough time of it. A shame you won’t be around to see what she looks like when he’s done. I’m told his penchant for using his dagger on faces borders on the grotesquely artistic.”
Ran eyed Zal. “She had nothing to do with this. Why don’t you let her go?”
“Because there’s no fun in that, frankly,” said Zal. “And Mithrus needs a bit of a diversion, anyway. Life below ground like this is a tough adjustment for a warrior like him. It’s been weeks since he’s had anything to do with his excessive amount of energy. Your friend there will provide him with hours of entertainment . . . in more ways than one, mind you.”
“I’ll kill him for it.”
Zal waved his hands. “Won’t that be rather difficult to do when you’re dead?”
“I’m not going to die,” said Ran. “At least not yet.”
Zal sighed. “Big talk considering my men have you in their custody. But do hold on to that bravado. It will be charming when you listen to the woman’s pleas while you await your own grisly destiny.” Zal looked at the guards. “Remove him from my sight. But put him in the cells closest to the chambers of Mithrus. I want him able to hear every sordid sound that comes from there.”
Ran felt the guards shove him out of the chamber. He took one final glance back at Zal and set his jaw. There would be time for his death. For the moment, Ran had to coordinate his own escape and then find a means to rescue Cassandra before Mithrus was able to exact any sort of depravity upon her.
The guards led him down a side tunnel, and somewhere up ahead, Ran could hear Cassandra still struggling with her captors. He heard something that sounded like a kick and a guard doubled over in pain. Then he heard Mithrus’s voice. “Enough.”
There was a pause and then the sharp sound of a hand slapping flesh. Cassandra cried out once and then fell silent. The blow might have stunned her or even knocked her unconscious. Ran felt his blood boil at the thought that Mithrus had laid a hand on her. He forced himself to breathe and keep his rage in check. Anger was a useful tool; rage rarely so. And if he allowed himself the luxury of becoming emotionally unbalanced, his enemies would win.
Ran had no intention of letting them survive, let alone win.
The guard steered him into a holding cell and then closed the metal door behind them. Three quarters of the way toward the top, there was an opening that was just wide enough for Ran look through. His view was only of the tunnel walls outside his cell. But at least there didn’t seem to be any guards around. No doubt they thought the cell impervious to escape.
Ran turned his attention to the interior of the cell, but a cursory examination revealed little in the way of exploitable weakness. The cell had been chiseled out of the hard earth and rock. It didn’t connect to any other cells, and the metal door itself was thick enough that Ran wouldn’t be able to force his way out. Even if he could, he had little room within the cell itself to maneuver. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, hoping to think of something that he could use to make his escape.
He still had the dagger that Yasseh had given him back at the scene of the caravan attack, but what good would it do inside the cell? He would need to launch an attack when Zal’s guards came for him, presumably at the time of his execution. Ran would have but one chance to make his move, and it would need to be sudden and savage in order to succeed.
He stopped. If he waited, it would be too late to save Cassandra. Mithrus would have already enjoyed his sordid fun at Cassandra’s expense. For all Ran knew, Mithrus could be having his way with her at that very moment. The time to act wasn’t when the guards would expect it; it was now, when they might not think he’d had enough time to formulate a plan.
Ran started banging on the door and coughing. He hacked for what felt like minutes before one of the guards appeared at the door.
“What is that racket?”
Ran gasped. “Water. Something in my throat.” He retched and forced himself to throw up the little contents of his stomach. The guard backed away and shouted for some help. No doubt Zal wanted Ran alive until he could execute him, so if anything happened, the guards would be at fault.
As he continued to cough, Ran bent over double and used his right hand to draw out the dagger. As his hand closed over the hilt, he felt a surge of adrenaline flood his system. He primed himself by gasping deep breaths that would ensure he had enough air to fight with.
The lock on the door rattled once as the guard slotted a key into the lock and turned it. Ran was still doubled-over coughing as the two guards entered bearing a bowl of water.
“Here—” one of them started to say.
But even as the word left his mouth, Ran was already launching himself at the two men. Before they had time to react, Ran had punched a neat stab into the base of the throat of the man with the bowl of water. He jerked the blade free, spun and went low, slashing at the inside of the second guard’s thigh before coming up with a single stab to the heart. Both men slumped to the ground. The bowl clattered against the wall of the cell before rolling to a stop in the pool of blood.
Ran regained his breathing and wiped the dagger’s blade on one of the guards. The door to his cell stood open. He had scant minutes to find Cassandra, kill Mithrus, and then start their escape.
As he stole into the tunnel, he wondered if it would be enough time. It would have to be, he decided. And somehow, he still had to find Kuva and help his friend escape as well.
A single torch flickered high on the tunnel wall, illuminating a scant bit of the area around him. Ran used his peripheral vision to try and pick his way along. He was badly exposed right then, and he needed to reach wherever Mithrus had taken Cassandra without alarming the entire complex. Even for a shadow warrior, overwhelming odds were nothing to take lightly.
Ran kept the dagger tucked close to his body as he stole sideways down the tunnel. His lead hand stayed out in front of him, carefully guiding him away from rocky outcroppings and feeling along for anything else that might surprise him.
“Wake her up.”
Mithrus’s voice floated down the tunnel. Ran frowned. Cassandra had obviously been knocked out. Ran suppressed the rage burning within him again and forced himself to objectively assess the situation he would soon be in. He needed to know how many men Mithrus had with him. And then he needed to figure out how badly wounded Cassandra was. It was no use trying to escape with her if she was incapable of fending for herself.
He continued on. There was the sound of splashing water followed by coughs and sputters. Mithrus laughed then. “Welcome back, my dear. I trust you had a delightful little nap?”
“I hope the crows feast upon your withering carcass under a noon sun,” spat Cassandra.
Mithrus laughed again. “That was very nearly poetic. But unfortunately, your skills are wasted upon me. I’m a simple man. I live by my blade and take what I achieve through force.”
“Because no woman would ever give herself to you willingly.” Cassandra laughed now. “Your manhood is questionable at best.”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” said Mithrus.
Ran crept ever closer and saw the outline of the cavern where Mithrus must have taken Cassandra. Light flickered from within, and Ran watched several shadows reach out into the tunnel. He frowned. There might be as many as four men in there with Mithrus. Such odds weren’t necessarily bad, provided Ran maintained the element of surprise. But if he was heard approaching, he’d walk right into a death trap.
“Undress her.”
Ran’s jaw clenched. The time for planning was over; action was all he had left now. He moved closer and took several deep breaths to flush himself full of air prior to combat. He heard the sound of fabric tearing. Cassandra gasped. Mithrus laughed. Several other voices laughed as well.
Ran gripped the dagger and moved to just outside of the cavern opening.
“Now, my dear—”
Ran slid into the cavern and immediately saw the targets before him. Two guards flanked Cassandra, who stood partially naked, with the glow of the fire behind her silhouetting her body. Mithrus stood with his back to Ran.
Ran didn’t pause. He stepped forward and plunged the dagger into the base of Mithrus’s skull, cutting to one side and then the other. Mithrus let out a quick gasp and then simply dropped, letting the blade slide free of his head as he did so.
The guards looked shocked at the sudden appearance of Ran, but their inaction proved to be their undoing. As Cassandra immediately grasped the implications, she elbowed one of the guards in the stomach even as Ran closed the distance between him and the other guard and feinted a high cut before diving low and stabbing up between the man’s legs. The guard screeched and then fell forward clutching at his bloody groin. Ran stepped behind him and drove the dagger into the ear canal of the guard.
“Ran!”
He turned and saw Cassandra struggling with the other guard. He leapt across the fire and kicked the guard in the back of his leg, buckling the man’s knee. Cassandra tore herself away from his grasp, and Ran moved in fast, driving the dagger into the man’s neck. He gurgled and spewed blood across the cavern before slumping forward onto his face.
Ran watched as Cassandra gathered her clothes about herself. “Are you okay?”
The princess was fiercely proud. “I’m fine. Thank you for coming when you did.”
“They locked me in a cell,” said Ran. “I had to figure out a way to escape before I could find you.”
Cassandra didn’t seem to be paying attention. She was studying the corpse of Mithrus. She reached down and ripped his sword free from its scabbard. “This bastard meant to pollute my body.” She raised the sword high overhead and brought it down on Mithrus’s head, cracking his skull open with a single cleave. Ran watched bits of bone and gray matter ooze from the opening. Cassandra retched once and then turned away.
“Hang onto that sword,” said Ran quietly. “Chances are we’re going to need it.”
He helped himself to the swords worn by the other guards. They were a bit unwieldy, but the more weapons he had, the better Ran felt. “We have only a little bit of time to get out of here before someone notices that Mithrus is absent and comes looking for him.”
Cassandra grinned. “Something tells me that he’s not some sort of all-night lover. We might even have less time than we think if any of his men know him well enough.”
Ran smiled. “Good to see you still have your sense of humor.”
“And my dignity,” said Cassandra. “Thank you, Ran.”
“Time for thanks later,” said Ran, moving past her. As much as the thought of being with the princess attracted him, they had more pressing matters before them. “We need Kuva. If we have any hope of getting out of here alive, we’ll need the big guy to help us out.”
“So you know the way back to the tunnels?” asked Cassandra.
“I can probably find the way,” said Ran. “But we’re going to run the risk of seeing more guards.”
“You can deal with them, though,” said Cassandra. “Can’t you?”
Ran frowned. “I’m tired. The truth is, you’re going to have to help me. If we run into a squad of guards, you’ll need to fight also.”
“Fair enough,” said Cassandra. “I’ll hold my own. Just find Kuva and let’s get the hell out of here.”
Ran eased back out of the cavern and into the tunnel. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the direction they’d come from when Mithrus had dragged them before Zal. His gut was telling him left, so Ran headed that way, aware that Cassandra was right behind him. He glanced back. “Put a little space between us. If we get into trouble, that space will be crucial to us being able to fight properly.”
“Sorry.”
Ran smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get through this. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” said Cassandra. “Which way?”
Ran pointed, and they kept moving. They came to a branch in the tunnel, and Ran felt that they should veer to the right. The ground sloped downward. Ran felt certain they were heading back toward the dig site. He just hoped that Bagyo wasn’t anywhere about. The last thing he needed was to have to fight some giant beast.
A deep rumble sounded from somewhere far below them. To Ran’s ears it sounded like an explosion. But what would be the cause of that?
“What in the world was that?”
Ran held up his hand. “I don’t know. It came from below us, though.”
“Should we wait?”
Ran heard voices to his left and pushed Cassandra back into the darkened recess of a wall nearby. A bunch of guards rushed down the tunnel a few feet from where they hid. They all had their weapons drawn. Ran frowned. What was going on?
He waited until after they’d gone before stepping back out into the tunnel. “I don’t know what caused that explosion, but it certainly seems to have the place alarmed.”
“Kuva’s down there,” said Cassandra. “He could be hurt.”
Ran licked his lips. There was more risk heading down there now with all those guards in the area. But Kuva was his friend, and Ran detested the idea of leaving the big man behind to fend for himself. “I’ve got to risk it.”
“We’ve got to risk it,” corrected Cassandra. “If you’re going, so am I.”
“We might not make it out alive.”
“Then we die together.” Cassandra grabbed Ran’s hand and led him toward the sound of danger.
C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-SEVEN
Cassandra led them down the tunnel. Before Ran could retake the lead position, they heard the sound of running feet. Cassandra raised her sword and cut down at an unseen target.
The blade came screaming down, but then ran right into the handle of a pickax.
“By Harbul’s ghost, what are you doing with that thing? Trying to kill me already?”
Kuva’s face emerged from the dark. He broke into toothy grin and eased Cassandra’s sword blade from the shaft of the pickax. “Next time you take a swing at someone, try to make sure they’re not a dear friend first, would you?”
Cassandra blanched. “Sorry.”
“You very nearly cleaved my skull in two with that thing.”
Ran came up and gave Kuva a quick hug. “Where did you come from?” He gave Kuva one of the blades he carried, and the big man grinned as he hefted it.
“Down below. We were working normally when all of a sudden all hell broke loose. One of the walls exploded, and then a whole bunch of armed warriors broke in from the other side.”
“The other side?”
Kuva nodded. “Zal’s been wanting to break through, hasn’t he? Well, it seems someone on the other side decided to take the initiative and attack first. I was lucky to get out of there with my life, mind you. Zal’s men are down there as we speak doing battle with them.”
“Will they prevail?”
“I don’t know,” said Kuva. “When I left, there were literally hordes of troops pouring through.”
Even as he said this, the sounds of battle seemed frighteningly close at hand. Ran eyed Cassandra. “We should get out of here now while we still can.”
“You won’t get an argument from me,” said Cassandra. “The sooner we’re free from this infernal place, the better.”
Kuva hissed. “More guards coming. Let’s get out of here.”
Ran turned away from the tunnel leading down to the battle, and they rushed back toward where Mithrus had imprisoned Cassandra. Ahead of him, he could see more guards coming toward him. Ran led them into the chamber where Mithrus’s body lay and waited as the guards stormed past. In the corridor outside they could hear Zal’s voice clamoring for someone to find Mithrus.
“Uh-oh,” said Kuva when he saw the corpse on the floor.
“Unavoidable,” said Ran.
Kuva grinned. “Am I right in assuming that the cracked skull might be due to our overzealous female companion here?”
“You’d be right in assuming that,” said Cassandra. “And I had good reason to do so, just remember that.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Kuva. He looked at Ran. “We can’t stay here. They’re going to want their commander coordinating the defense.”
Ran nodded. “All right. We’re going right out of this cavern. Ahead there should be a branch, and the tunnel should slope upward. Let’s follow that to the surface.”
Kuva took the lead, and they exited the chamber.
And ran right into a squad of guards at the entrance.
“Stand fast!” shouted the guard leader.
Kuva had no intention of doing so and blundered into them, shoving them back into the tunnel and clearing the way for Ran and Cassandra to get out. As they did so, Kuva retreated so the guards were behind them.
The tunnel was wide enough for two men to stand abreast, so Ran joined Kuva at his side brandishing his own sword.
“Where is Mithrus?” shouted the guard leader.
“Dead,” said Ran. “Your leader is dead. Let us go and we’ll spare your lives.”
The guard leader smirked. “We outnumber you ten to one.”
“Numbers don’t matter,” said Ran. Somewhere behind the group of guards the sounds of battle grew louder. The clangs of steel-on-steel rang out and echoed along the tunnels. “And it sounds like your enemies are getting closer. You don’t want to have to battle them behind you and us in front of you.”
“We can handle them,” said the guard leader. But then he turned as one of his men cried out. Ran saw a rush of figures pour into the corridor. They were smaller than the guards; much like Zal himself. And they were clothed only in some type of leather armor, brandishing shorter weapons better suited to fighting in the close confines of the tunnel networks they inhabited.
As soon as they saw the guards, they attacked. Screams and screeches broke out. Kuva stood his ground and cut down one of the guards who tried to flee.
Ran nudged him. “Let’s get out of here.”
They turned and ran down the corridor. At the branch, Ran paused and looked back. The sound of battle had died away, replaced by something far worse. As he watched, the smaller warriors that had just defeated Zal’s guards had put down their weapons and started feasting on the bodies of the slain. Their fingers poked and tore at scraps of flesh, plunging chunks of muscle and fat into their mouths. The stench and sound of bloody flesh being devoured made Ran’s stomach heave. He was momentarily thankful for the fact that his stomach had very little left in it.
“Ran!”
He blinked and turned, catching up with Kuva and Cassandra.
As they raced on, Cassandra caught up with him. “Why on earth did you stop?”
“Don’t ask,” said Ran. “Some things are too terrible to talk about.”
The tunnel sloped upward, and Kuva led them. A few stray guards came at them, but more often they avoided any sort of combat. Already more of the underworld inhabitants were streaming up into Zal’s domain, slaying anyone they found and feasting on their bodies. As they worked their way up toward the entrance to the catacombs, the sounds of horror grew louder. More of Zal’s hired army fell victim to the invaders. But Zal had apparently gone missing. Ran felt certain he was around somewhere, but there wasn’t time to settle up with him. The smaller invaders seemed ravenous and nearly unstoppable. Certainly Ran did not have the resources to do so. His best option was to get out of the catacombs and back into the outside world.
As Kuva led them up the tunnels, Ran kept glancing back over his shoulder. Part of him expected that the invaders would overcome all resistance and then set their sights on the fleeing trio. But every time he looked back, Ran only heard the terrible sounds of the feasting invaders. They never seemed interested in giving chase.
At least Ran hoped they weren’t interested.
But where was Zal?
Kuva’s arm shot into the air, and they all stopped short. Kuva must have spotted something ahead of them. Ran worked his way up to his friend and whispered in his ear. “What is it? Why have we stopped?”
Kuva shook his head. “Something’s not right. It’s too still up ahead. It feels . . . unnatural.”
“Unnatural.”
Kuva nodded. “I don’t like it.”
Ran glanced around them. In the middle of the sloping tunnel, they were exposed again. And this time, the rock walls seemed much smoother than farther down. There would be no places to hide up here. Any interaction with Zal’s men would no doubt result in combat. “We can’t stay here.”
Kuva’s eyes narrowed, and he scanned from one side to the other. Finally, he sighed. “Maybe I was wrong.”
“I doubt it,” said Ran. “But if there’s danger up ahead, it’s almost certainly not as bad as what waits behind us.”
Kuva eyed him. “What did you see back there?”
“The invaders,” said Ran. “They ate the men they killed. It was as if they hadn’t eaten in years, and they ate their fill in the most heinous of ways.”
Kuva spat on the ground. “Curse them all. Let’s move and get out of here.” He stood back up and pressed on.
Cassandra looked at Ran as she passed. “Everything all right, Ran?”
“Not until we’re out of this hellhole,” said Ran. “Which hopefully will not be much longer.”
“One would hope.”
Ran looked back at the way they’d come. He could still hear the sounds of battle, although there seemed to be far less of it now. One side had to be winning, and Ran doubted it was Zal’s mercenaries. The invaders had looked too powerful to thwart. He almost felt sorry for the men who were killed and eaten.
He ran to catch up with Kuva and Cassandra and was surprised when a sudden blow took him completely off his feet and sent him thundering into the wall of the tunnel. The air rushed out of his lungs, and he struggled to catch his breath. Numbly, he tried to bring his sword up, but that was batted out of his grasp.
“You bad man.”
Ran’s mind raced to fill in the blanks. Then the hairy paw lifted him up and slammed him back against the tunnel wall again. Ran struggled to keep from losing consciousness. “Bagyo?”
“You ruin everything, little man. Make Bagyo’s home go away.”
Ran shook his head, not only to deny the claim but to try to shake some sense back into himself. “Zal is the one you should blame. If he hadn’t brought you here—”
“Zal give me job. Make me happy. Then you come and everything go bad.”
Bagyo threw Ran again. Ran collapsed in a heap and wondered where Kuva and Cassandra were. He could certainly use some help in fending off Bagyo. The giant hairy beast loomed closer and plucked him off the floor of the tunnel before throwing him again. Ran tried to relax as he crashed into another wall. But he knew he was dangerously close to passing out. And if that happened, there was no guarantee he would ever wake up again.
Ran tried pawing about for his sword, but he had no clue where Bagyo had sent it flying. And before he could recover, Bagyo was back on him again, this time sending a thundering kick into Ran’s midsection. He rolled with it, trying to go with the force of the impact, but Bagyo nailed him in the ribs, and Ran knew some of them must have broken.
He winced and came up on his feet. The only way he was going to get out of this alive was if he figured out how to fight Bagyo off. But he needed a sword to do that.
“Ran!”
Kuva’s voice drew Bagyo’s attention barely in time to avoid the downward stroke of Kuva’s blade. Bagyo roared and batted him away. But Kuva was much bigger than Ran and Bagyo’s strength was much more even with Kuva. Kuva drew back and prepared to cut at the beast again. As Bagyo rushed in, Kuva sidestepped and brought the sword up in a tight arc that cut into Bagyo’s right arm.
Bagyo howled in pain and caught Kuva back across his face with a claw that drew streaks of blood and flesh from Kuva’s cheek. But the warrior refused to give way and thrust his sword deep into Bagyo’s side until the hilt was the only part still jutting out of him. Bagyo reared back, tearing the sword from Kuva’s grasp, and uttered a massive bellow before collapsing on his face and lying still.
Ran heard his breath coming in spurts.
Kuva retrieved his sword and then touched the flaps of flesh dangling from his face. “This will no doubt send the maidens of Gallina fleeing at the sight of me.”
“As opposed to that reeking breath of yours.”
“You’re one to talk. The stench of you carries through the tunnels like a plague.”
Ran grinned. “Nice to see you again.”
Kuva nodded. “Apologies, my friend. We ran into some more of Zal’s men farther up the way there. Took us a moment to sort them out.”
“Cassandra?”
“She’s fine,” said Kuva. “She was mopping up the last of them when I realized you weren’t with us and came back down. Judging by what I saw, my timing was barely acceptable.”
Ran got up, wincing as he held his side. “Could have used your presence a little sooner than when you came, I’ll be honest. But better late than never.” He scanned the floor. “He batted my sword away. I need to find it before we continue.”
Kuva searched, and they found it within a few moments. Ran felt better having it in his hand, but the pain in his side from the broken ribs kept disturbing him. He had to find a way to shut the pain out or else it would interfere with his fighting ability.
“Stay behind me,” said Kuva as they moved back up the tunnel. “You’ll do neither of us any good if you have to fight. I’ve had broken ribs before. They’re no joy. I imagine sleeping will be delightful for you for some time to come.”
“I’d be happy just to put my head down upon a bed of hay,” said Ran. “It feels like forever since I slept.”
“You can sleep later,” grumbled Kuva. “Something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Zal yet.”
“You think he’s still around? Perhaps he was caught below and is being eaten even now.”
“Doubtful,” said Kuva. “Men like Zal are masters of opportunity. He probably had an escape route all mapped out just in case something happened. My guess is he’s farther up by the entrance.”
Ran frowned. The thought of more fighting pained him. But if that’s what it took to get out of here, then he would have to do it.
Kuva stopped then, and Ran nearly bumped into him.
“What is it?”
Kuva glanced around. “Where is she?”
Ran felt a pang in his stomach. “Cassandra?”
Kuva nodded. “I left her here. She was fine.”
Ran frowned. “She’s not here anymore.”
Kuva bent close to the ground and ran his fingers over the earth. After a moment, he stood back up. “She’s been taken.”
“By who?”
“I don’t know,” said Kuva. “But there was more than one of them. And my guess is they’re heading the same way we are. Up and out of this place.”
“Then lead on,” said Ran. “The sooner we track them down and free Cassandra, the sooner we can get out of here.”
Kuva shifted his belt and then set off up the tunnel. Ran looked around and then followed his friend.
