The Dragonstone

CHAPTER 75

Time crept past. "But what if they didn't make it all the way down the cliff, or perhaps couldn't find the underwater exit?"

Arin turned to Egil. "Fear not, chier… and have faith."

"But we don't know, love. We don't know that all is in readiness. Look, we can return to the ledge above and execute the plan tomorrow. Recall, should low tide come and go without you luring the Kraken outside, the strategy is for them to climb back up. We can meet them atop and know whether all is ready or no."

"Again I say fear not, chier. Both Delon and Burel said that given the face of the mountain wall, the descent, though long, would be rather easy and swift. It's the climb back up that will take time."

Egil sighed, and fell silent, and only the rush of water in the cavern beyond broke the stillness.

Finally Ferret said, "Dara, can you tell from here whether or not the treasure has a charm on it?"

Egil growled, "It is not a treasure, Ferret."

"Nevertheless, chier, she has a good question," said Arin. "I will attempt to ‹see›." Arin stood and stepped to the cavern entrance. After a moment she said, "Mayhap there is a glow, yet if so, it is too faint to discern from here."

"Oh." Ferret's voice fell.

"Would you rather that it did glow?" asked Egil.

"Oh, no," replied Ferret. "I'd rather that it did not, for who knows what a charm might do? I was simply hoping the Dara could tell whether or not one was present."

" 'Tis time, chier," said Arin, standing.

Egil looked at her, his heart in his gaze. He tried to speak, but found he could not. Instead, he embraced her, wrapping her small frame in his arms. He kissed her lingeringly, and then with a sigh he released her and stepped back.

Ferret dipped one end of a short section of stiff rope into lantern oil and then lit it. "Your torch to run by, my Lady," she said and handed it to Arin. Then she gave over a lit lantern to the Dara, saying, "And a lantern to leave at the silver chest, should you get the chance."

Egil's heart hammered in his breast as Arin took torch and lantern and nodded her thanks. Yet before she could turn to go, Egil stepped forward once more and took her face in his hands and kissed her one last time and whispered, "I love you."

"Chieran," she replied, then turned and quickly stepped away, blinking back her tears.

Down into the cavern she stepped, and taking a deep breath she began running swiftly along the path to the right and toward the distant goal, while behind, Egil held his breath and gritted his teeth, and Ferret clenched her hands in white-knuckled grips.

Dark waters upwelled in the pool.

Fleetly and lightly Arin ran, rounding the curve of the cavern, dodging past boulders and springing over rocks in her path. Now she came to the final arc, and by the light of the lantern she bore, Egil and Ferret could see a niche in the wall, silver glinting within.

Arin paused, placing the lantern into the hollow, and she called out above the roil of the water, "The chest, 'tis charmed!"

And the black waters of the pool churned and seethed.

Now Arin stepped to the edge of the pool and peered into the moil, waiting. And still the waters welled up, the whole of the flow to race outward toward the sea along the channel at hand.

Nothing.

"Perhaps there is no Kraken whatsoever in the pool," hissed Ferret.

Egil only groaned in response.

Now Ann turned and stepped back to the niche containing the chest, and while watching the pool she reached up and in toward the silver…

… and touched the charmed metal.

Fwoosh! A great flowing heave exploded upward in the water, huge ropy tentacles bursting forth.

Waves billowed outward toward the walls.

Run! shouted Egil and Ferret together-

– but Arin had already turned to flee, the Dylvana bolting down the path toward the exit a full furlong away, the Great Maelstrom spinning out in the ocean beyond.

And behind her sped a monster, tentacles flowing before it, grasping and snatching at her fleeing form.

"Run! Run!" shouted Egil, as the waves of the creature's emergence crashed into the walls to fling water up in sheeting gouts of spray. And when he could see again, the light of the rope torch had disappeared into the darkness of the channel passage beyond. And Egil whispered, "Run, my love. Oh, Adon, run!"

Arin ran with all of her fleetness, a hurtling wedge of ebon water rushing down the channel behind, a massive flowing heave in the darkness, with great writhing tentacles reaching out after. On Arin sped, hurdling small boulders, leaping over stones, flying before a hideous creature that would rend her in twain should it manage to grasp her.

On came the great wave, a foaming black wake churning behind. And now one massive tentacle reached out to clutch her, but she dodged away. The water roiled with the creature's anger, and it snatched up a great rock and smashed it down at her-THDD!-flying stone chips pelting her in the back as she ran.

Thdd!… Thdd!… There came the sound of a massive pounding, as if a monstrous maul hammered. "Oh, Adon, Adon, what is amiss?" cried Egil, as the strike and beat echoed back through the cavern.

"Now, Egil!" cried Ferret. "While the creature is drawn away. Now is the time to get the treasure, ere the monster returns."

"What?" cried Egil.

"I said, we must move now! Else her effort is like to be in vain," Ferret spat. "Now let's go."

thdd!… thdd!… The echoes of the hammering diminished, as if becoming more distant.

Egil took a deep breath and then expelled it altogether. He grunted a reply, but what he said, she did not hear. With rage in his face he looked at the dark water and across at the chest, then said, "Wait, here, Ferai, until I call you."

She nodded and handed him a twist of rope, one end dipped in oil and lit. He snatched up a lantern and took the torch and stalked out into the cavern.

Ferret watched as he moved toward the chest, one eye on the man, another on the roiling black pool.

At last Egil reached the niche. He set down his lantern and took his axe in hand, and then, as he had seen Arin do, he reached up and touched the silver metal.

Again the pool exploded upward, tentacles boiling forth.

THDD!… THDD!… THDD!… With a great rock maul pounding just inches behind her, Arin fled down the rocky way toward the exit, her feet barely touching stone as she ran. Now she could see the gleam of water ahead and light streaming inward underneath. And just as a huge tentacle swept toward her, she came to the end of the path and made a running dive down into the powerful current sweeping outward.

THDD!… Thdd!… thdd!… Ferret listened to diminishing echoes as Egil fled down the path and away, a monster in pursuit.

Two Krakens. Two. What a hideous trap. And now I am left all alone.

With a rope torch in one hand and the last lantern in the other Ferai stepped out into the cavern.

thdd… thdd…

As the hammering diminished in the distance, she quickly ran along the path to arrive at the silver chest.

Now she set aside her lantern and wiped her sweating palms on her leathers. Then gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath and stared out at the dark roiling waters… and reached out and touched the charmed chest.