Chapter 11
“Backs pressed against each other,” I ordered under my breath. “Have your familiars nearby, and keep your eyes open. Remember, these creatures can’t see you, but they can hear and smell you.”
“That’s right,” Revna panted before she notched an arrow in her bow. “We must fight as quietly as possible. I know it sounds challenging, but do your best not to shout or scream.”
Everyone gathered in a circle, and we all had our wands pointed out in front of us. No one said a word as the croaking, shrieking, and cackling grew louder, but I knew fear was in the air. As the seconds painfully ticked by and the cave-dwelling creatures drew closer, I thought I could smell something foul and decaying in the air. It reeked of rotting flesh, mixed with the stench of something sour and long dead. I quickly realized the closer these cries grew, the worse the smell became, and it was growing more and more difficult to breathe.
Then a shrill shriek suddenly echoed through the cave, and it was louder than anything I’d ever heard before. The sound made me want to crouch down in agony, but I knew I had to keep my stance and remain upright and still. Blood pooled down my ears, and my hand shook as the sound resounded a second time, but I refused to falter or cower back.
“Keep a sharp lookout,” I quietly reminded everyone when the sound died. “I can feel one of them lurking nearby…”
I thought I could see a figure moving in the shadows out of the corner of my eye, and when I gently craned my neck, I spotted something wedged in the rocks and crawling like a cockroach in between the cracks.
I didn’t have to ask Revna what the hideous creature was because I already knew.
It was an ice wendigo.
The deadly creature had a long, slim, and bony body, and its back legs were extensive and hunched over at the knee as it crawled. At the end of its fingertips were great black talons, and they looked as sharp and as long as daggers. The beast’s skin was pulled tightly over its bones, and its flesh was sallow and gray. Large, bulging, glassy eyes protruded out of its skull, and its mouth was lipless, bloody, and tattered. When it sneered, only pointed, rotting teeth were exposed, and thick yellow drool seeped from the corners of its mouth as it sniffed the air.
I knew it could smell us, and no matter how quietly we breathed, it only drew closer and closer. It was nearing me in particular, and when it opened its mouth, the scent of its foul breath washed over me like a cloud of poison.
Before it had a chance to shriek and alert the others, I whipped out my blade and stuck it right through its wide mouth. Then I pushed with all my force and made sure the end of my weapon went right through the back of its skull. It gurgled and tried to wriggle away, but I kept my hand on its shoulder as I plunged the dagger further into its flesh.
I quietly slew the filthy creature, but then a heavy rock fell from the ceiling and smashed to the ground nearby. The sound echoed in the cold, empty chamber, and the racket immediately alerted the other wendigos within earshot. They viciously screamed in unison and began charging our way, and that’s when I knew there was no point in staying silent any longer.
“Well, fuck it!” Vanessa shouted before she aimed her wand at an incoming beast. “Use your spells to blast these fuckers into smithereens!”
I’ve got your back, Cole, Alexander said in my head before he charged at the wendigos without an ounce of fear.
“Dissulto!” I yelled as a screeching wendigo rushed right at me with full force, and my spell sent it flying back into the cave. It hit its head hard against the stone wall, and its skull immediately cracked like a melon as blood and gore seeped from the fresh wound. Then another came charging at us, but before it could pounce on Circe, I whipped my wand in its direction. “Volant!”
The skeletal beast quickly soared backward into a cluster of wendigos, and it wailed as the other creatures began ripping it apart from limb to limb. We watched in horror as they devoured their counterpart without hesitation or mercy. They ate it in seconds, and afterward, their attention was back on us.
“Why are these stupid fucks attacking each other?” Akira cried out before she sent another beast flying back into the air.
“They’re vicious, unthinking beings!” Revna yelled back before she shot another arrow at a wendigo who was galloping her way. “All they long for is blood, even if it’s each other’s.”
“This is madness!” Beatrix shrieked before she froze a wendigo in place. “There’s too many of them! Even if we were as silent as the dead, they have our scent now!”
“Just keep firing!” I ordered.
As we shot spell after spell at the stinking creatures, Alexander and Trixie continued to swoop down and did their best to claw out eyes and rip out tongues. Isobel was also tearing throats out, and Silvia wasted no time using her massive bear claws to slash the wendigos’ necks open. Even the elegant Ursula slithered down from Vesta’s neck to wrap her body around one creature’s gullet until the familiar managed to pop the beast’s eyes from its skull.
Even through the damp, chilly air, beads of sweat trickled down my brow as we continued to send powerful incantations their way, but as more and more came crawling through the cracks, I knew Beatrix was right.
There were too many of them.
So, I looked at the rocks surrounding us and thought about bringing them down to crush every wendigo in sight. It would be a tricky move, and we’d need some kind of barrier to prevent us from being smashed, but I knew Vanessa could handle it.
“Professor!” I said, but she didn’t even bother to look at me.
“I’m a little busy here, Cole!” she yelled before she sent a spell flying at a wailing wendigo. “What the hell is it?”
“I need you to create a barrier,” I explained quickly. “I’m going to bring the cave roof down on these fuckers.”
“What?” she gasped. “That could block our path.”
“I’ll be sure not to bring the whole cave down,” I replied without missing a beat. “Just trust me.”
“Fine,” she answered after a long moment, “but you’d better be quick.”
The professor quickly created the barricade, and once we, the alces, and familiars were all inside its watery domain, I focused on the stone roof above us and willed every rock and pebble to do my unholy bidding. I longed to see them fall down and crush every single one of these motherfuckers, and I asked Satan for the strength to do it.
My heart raced as I focused long and hard on the cavern roof, and thick beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. I gritted my teeth, and my hands shook as I opened my heart to the darkness, but there was something, or rather, someone preventing me from achieving my goal.
Try a little harder, my dear Cole, Samara’s voice cackled in my head. It’s difficult to do once you’ve grown closer to my holy domain.
“Fuck off,” I said through my teeth.
“What?” Vanessa shrieked as she fought to keep the barrier above us. “What did you say, Cole?”
“Nothing,” I said as I tried to focus on the rocks rather than Samara’s taunting voice.
Motus.
The rocks above us shook, but for some reason, they weren’t cascading down or breaking apart like I willed them to do in my mind. I couldn’t understand what the hell was happening, maybe Samara was stopping me somehow, but I had to think of something else quickly.
“Looks like this cave roof isn’t going anywhere,” I said as wendigos bounced off the barrier and tried to penetrate through.
As Vanessa struggled and the women turned to me for guidance, I wracked my brain for a solution. My body was already drained from using spell after spell and attempting to move the rocks, but it was up to me to save everyone, and I refused to give up now.
Use the ancient incantation, Cole, the woman from my dreams suddenly said, and it felt like a blessing to hear her calming voice inside me. Blow their withered minds apart! It’s the only way to kill them, for their hearts stopped beating ages ago. Do it!
“Cole, whatever the hell you’re going to do,” Vanessa grunted as she kept her wand raised upright, and her face was flushed from the effort. “You’d better do it now!”
“Just keep the barrier up!” I ordered in a sharp tone. “For as long as you can, Professor. I need you to stay strong!”
“Fine,” she panted in a weak voice.
Once again, I took another deep breath, and with all my might and willpower, I urged the dark lord to bless me with his unholy power. I opened my heart to Satan and prayed for the strength to destroy every single creature’s mind. Soon, I could feel the wendigos’ empty consciousnesses, and their only desire was for blood and nothing else.
When I was ready, I closed my eyes and spoke the ancient tongue in my head.
Modus antiquorum.
Suddenly, each creature stopped in its tracks and froze in place. A heavy weight filled the air, and a ringing sound echoed through my head like a buzzing bee trapped in my skull. Violent tremors flowed through my body, and every inch of me felt like it was on fire. I clenched my jaw, and a sharp, unbearable pain took over my senses, but I watched with vigilant eyes as the creatures viciously trembled as well. They all screamed and howled before they placed their giant hands upon their pointed ears, and then their heads began to explode, one by one.
A satisfied smirk spread across my face as gore spurted in every direction, and once each being fell to the floor limp and dead as a doornail, the women cheered and jumped up with glee.
“Master!” Akira squealed before she wrapped her arms around me. “That was amazing! You killed them all!”
“It doesn’t mean we’re in the clear just yet, Miss Akira,” Vanessa sighed, and when I turned to look at her, she was as white as a ghost. “There could be many more lurking within these caves, so I suggest we keep our enthusiasm to a minimum, agreed?”
“Yes, of course, Professor,” the black-eyed witch said in a low whisper, but a small smile still played in the corners of her lips. “Apologies.”
“It’s alright.” Vanessa nodded before she turned her attention to the wild woman. “Now please, Revna, show us the way… I have a feeling it’s going to be quite a perpetual night.”
“Indeed,” the wild woman said with pinched lips. “The pathway will be cold, dark, and daunting, but it’s our only way to the dragon’s peak. I had hoped to leave the alces outside, but there’s nothing for it now, so they’ll have to accompany us. Everyone, follow me, and remember to keep quiet.”
Without a word, we trailed after the headstrong professor and the wild Wicca, and our familiars and mounts trailed behind us obediently. We marched past the many dead wendigos and then headed through a narrow tunnel from whence they came. Each step was cold and wet, and soon, terrible darkness overcame us all, and it was damn near impossible to see where we were going.
“Illuminana,” Vanessa whispered.
The professor’s wand suddenly lit up, and as we ventured onward, our shadows towered like giants against the cavern walls. The further we walked, the colder and heavier the air grew, but no one dared complain. Instead, we quietly kept going for hours through every crevasse Revna led us through, and just when I thought we would reach the end of the cave, we came across something putrid.
A sea of bones.
“Unholy fuck,” Nyx muttered as she looked around. “What in Satan’s name is this place?”
“The belly of the cave,” Revna whispered like it was an unholy secret. “This is where the wendigos bring their kill.”
An icy shiver ran down my spine as I looked around and realized there were countless bones here. Skulls of all shapes and sizes were scattered across the cave floor, and the smell of death wafted up my nose and sent an unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach. Somehow, as I looked around me, I knew the bodies of animals, humans, elders, and witches littered the ground, and I also knew tormented souls haunted this place.
I could feel it in my own bones.
“Let’s move as quietly as possible,” Vanessa instructed with her chin raised. “One wrong move could bring another horde upon us.”
“Yes,” Revna agreed, but not before she pulled out her bow and notched an arrow. “Come, let us move with precision and caution.”
I found my foot slowly moving in front of the other as we followed the wild woman across the bed of broken and rotting bones in various states of decomposition. The floor was so plagued by bodies and mud, it was like sinking one’s foot into quicksand, but the feeling was much fouler. My boot was soon drenched with melted ice and mud as we headed across the belly of the cave, and for a moment, I believed we were going to make it to the other side with no trouble.
Then I thought I felt something slither against my foot.
“Wait,” I said, and everyone stopped in their tracks. “I felt something. It was moving beneath the bones.”
“What did it feel like?” Revna asked with narrowed eyes.
“Slimy and quick,” I responded as I looked around.
“Shit,” the wild woman hissed. “It might be some form of coluber…”
“What’s that?” Beatrix questioned. “I’ve never heard of one before.”
“It’s a form of a serpent,” Faye said in a faint voice, “and they’re cunning, deadly beings.”
“Are you sure you felt something, Cole?” Vanessa asked in a sharp tone.
“Yes,” I breathed, and a terrible feeling washed over me. “I’m sure of it.”
Everyone held their breaths as Vanessa waved her wand aimlessly around, and suddenly, she gasped right before she was yanked beneath the bones and disappeared from view.
“Professor!” Morgana whisper-screamed in a panic. “Satan, where did she go?”
It was pitch black for just a moment, and the sudden vulnerability made my hair stand on end. Isobel was barking in terror, and I knew if we weren’t quick, all this noise would bring us unwanted attention.
“Illuminana!” Circe hissed, but when the light returned, there was still no sign of Vanessa.
“Shit,” I grunted with my wand raised above me. My eyes swiftly scanned the bones for any signs of movement, and then, just a few paces in front of me, I thought I saw a skull rattling. Without wasting a moment, I quickly made my way toward it while keeping my wand steady. “Here, she’s down here! I saw movement!”
I reached down into the blood, gore, mud, and bones and tried to search for the professor, and at first, I panicked because I couldn’t seem to find her, but then I felt like I had my hand wrapped around hers, and I pulled with all my strength.
“Do you have her?” Revna asked before she aimed her arrow in my direction.
“Yes, but whatever has its hold on her, it’s not letting go,” I growled as I tried my best to yank Vanessa to the surface. “She’s not under my blood pact. If she can’t breathe, she’ll die.”
“Bring that light closer!” Revna ordered.
Circe shuffled clumsily through the bones and brought the light just above my hand, and I thought I saw something scaly and dark-purple speeding through the decaying skeletons. It was moving fast, just like a snake, and while I still had my hold on the professor, I used my other hand to aim my wand downward.
“Secare!”
A sudden bright light shot from the tip of my magical weapon and went straight through whatever serpent-like creature was dragging Vanessa beneath the bony depths. In seconds, the professor kicked free from her captor, burst through the surface of bones, and viciously gasped for air.
“Professor!” the women said before they reached down to grab her and help her to her feet.
Vanessa was covered in grime and blood, and when she looked down, her eyes widened with fear and hate. She waved her wand around, and Isobel rushed to her side and whined as she rubbed at her master’s trembling hand.
“Is it dead?” she growled. “It better be fucking dead.”
“I’m not sure,” I responded before I looked aimlessly around, “but let’s not stick around to find out.”
Suddenly, a violent echo of clashing bones reverberated behind me, and when I whipped around, a massive snakelike creature emerged from below and came charging at me with its jaws pried open.
It was at least twenty feet long, and it was coming closer and closer, but before it could rip my head from my body, Revna shot her arrow, and the weapon stuck right in the middle of the serpent’s eye. As soon as contact was made, the beast wailed like a banshee and tossed its head back and forth in pain, but it was not yet dead.
My fingers quickly found their way around the hilt of my blade, and without waiting another second, I pulled out my weapon and plunged it deep inside the snake’s head.
The demon-like serpent screamed in agony, and its mouth twitched right before it stopped moving entirely and then fell back into the sea of bones with an ear-shattering crash. Skeletons were broken into bits and pieces, and I knew, even before Revna spoke, that whatever else lived in this cave surely heard and knew we were here.
“Let’s move,” the wild woman ordered with a warning glint in her eyes. “Now!”
We ran as fast as we could after Revna and did not look back. As we sped onward, I could hear more wendigos behind us, but no one faltered or stumbled as we ran for our lives.
Finally, I could see a dim light just ahead of us, and I knew salvation was near. My lungs burned as I gasped for air, and my feet felt like they were bleeding, but I refused to slow down. Then we reached the end of the tunnel, and we were met with a pale morning sunrise. We skidded to a stop in the snow before we swept around to gaze upon the cavern, and we saw a horde of wendigos were still approaching.
“They’re not stopping!” Beatrix cried out. “Can they survive sunlight?”
“Yes, ice wendigos can,” Revna replied in a rushed voice. “The sun is so pale here, it is like the moon to them.”
I knew at that moment I had to do something, so I studied the rocks one more time, and with all my will, I summoned the dark lord to help me again. I had asked for his help countless times before, but now, I needed him to guide me and make me stronger than Samara and her holy power.
I had to block the cave’s exit, even if it meant destroying the entire passageway.
I focused intently on the rocks, and this time, I did not hear Samara’s taunting voice inside my head. No, I instead felt a wave of power wash over me, like I could conquer whatever I needed to. It was delicious, and it seeped through my blood like a boiling river, ready to burn and destroy everything in its path.
When I was ready, I raised a hand in the air and shouted.
“Motus!”
This time, the cave rumbled, and rocks quickly began to descend upon the beasts before they could reach the threshold. A loud crack filled the air, and as the rocks continued to fall and crush our foes, the entire cavern came crashing down and was utterly destroyed within seconds.
Our alces scattered in the face of the crumbling mountain face, and I quickly lost sight of them in the snowy landscape. I could still feel a connection to my mount, but it grew fainter and fainter as the pack sprinted away in fear.
“Well, shit,” Akira gasped with wide, black eyes. “That was a close one.”
“I’m glad we’re alive, but how will we get back?” Beatrix asked in a small voice. “The entire pathway is destroyed. Plus, our steeds just ran away.”
“Something tells me we won’t be taking this route back,” I said. “Wherever the third artifact is, I’m sure it’s even further north than this, and we can’t waste any time tracking the alces down right now..”
“Cole is right,” Vanessa sighed before she rubbed her temples. “Our quest is far from over. For now, let us just worry about reaching the dragon’s peak and seeking the second artifact.”
“Yes, Professor,” the women answered in unison.
We marched onward toward the dragon’s peak, and as the wind bit my skin and sent shivers down my spine, I knew we would soon face another foe, perhaps one far deadlier than any serpent or wendigo.