37. Chapter 37

I kicked my legs and dragged the still unconscious siren and myself further upward, followed by my dragoons. There had to be quite a few mantadors behind them if they had decided to come in here rather than to fight them.

We reached the platform where I had first seen the siren and I changed my light to full capacity, to take in the area. At first I didn’t see any spot to hide, and resigned myself to take a stand against the mantadors, when Samurg pointed behind me I shone the light at it. There was another narrow passage, hopefully it was a passage and not just a recessed area.

Pulling the siren by her hand, I swam toward it, just as the first mantador broke over the platform. My dragoons were ready for it. Swords drawn, the predator didn’t stand a chance.

Orange blood swirled through the waters, diluted, just as another mantador emerged, latching on to his hapless injured brother. Three more arrived and a gory feeding frenzy ensued. More dark shadows rose, attacking each other in a rush to devour the now dead mantador. So many, we didn’t stand a chance .

I waved my dragoons forward toward the dark opening, it was our only chance. Even if it didn’t go anywhere, with our backs to the wall, at least we offered only two points of attack once the feeding frenzy subsided.

I shone my light into the space, which seemed to go on forever, but was also extremely narrow. I pushed the siren in first, then grabbed the first dragoon, took his tank off his back and handed it to him, carrying it sideways he squeezed through, barely.

Now and then I chanced a glance at the mantadors, knowing it was only a matter of time until they would pick up the scent of my blood again, I urged my dragoons through the narrow passage. On the plus side, the mantadors wouldn’t fit, on the downside, I wasn’t sure I would.

Vissigroths are taller, bigger, more muscular than regular Leandars and if my dragoons were struggling…

I shrugged my tank off, sucked in my chest and squeezed in between the rocky walls that wouldn’t give me an inch. I scraped my flesh bloody, luring the mantadors back to me.

I managed to wedge myself almost all the way in, when the first giant mantador opened its terrible maw, exposing several rows of serrated teeth before it clamped down on my shoulder.

Thankfully it was my right, the one covered in the dragon’s kiss. Even the sharp mantador’s teeth couldn’t penetrate the scales, but I felt the powerful pressure of its jaw.

To squeeze in I had sheathed my sword, in my left hand I was holding the oxygen tank, leaving my right hand free to tug my dagger from my thigh, thankful for Niara’s advise to wear multiple blades. Still, with the mantador jerking on my shoulder, moving me painfully back and forward, I not only worried he would dislocate my shoulder, but it made grabbing the knife and attempting to stab the beast nearly impossible.

All I managed was a slight cut through its side, but it was enough. Blood spurted out, alerting its brethren to its injury, who fell on him mercilessly.

The moment the mantador’s teeth dislodged, I forced myself in deeper, vanishing at least from the predator’s range. On the downside, I was stuck. No matter how much I wiggled, or sucked in my chest, I couldn’t move forward. Cursing, I slapped the rock to no avail as breathing became more painful. My chest yearned to extend in a deep breath, but at this point I worried, I would break my own rips.

Somebody tapped me on the arm, Samurg, he pointed up, and it took my oxygen starved brain a moment to comprehend what he was telling me. With monumental exertion, I exhaled and moved my fin clad feet back and forward to move me up. There was some give, before my chest caught me again. This time Samurg maneuvered me a little down and sideways.

Still only taking shallow breaths, I allowed him to lead me through the rocky labyrinth while my sight turned hazy. It was only a matter of time now until I would pass out.

That Samurg was here though, directing me, gave me hope that the other end wasn’t too far off and that it would offer more room.

Just as my vision was turning black, Samurg pulled on my left arm and I was out of the narrow rift. My shoulder hurt, my lungs hurt, my chest screamed at me, but the rest of my body jubilated as I took my first deep gulp of oxygen.

Samurg pointed up and to my utter astonishment, I made out a faint glow from above. Light! Questioningly I looked at Samurg, who shrugged and gave me an expression that told me to prepare myself for the shock of a lifetime.

Grim faced, I turned my head up, moving my feet toward the light. We were inside a tunnel, it was still narrow, but nothing compared to the rift I had just fought myself out of.

The illumination was getting brighter, but there was no indication that we were actually making our way toward the surface. Soon I made out the moving fins of my dragoons, the bound up tail of the siren, who had obviously regained consciousness as she fought in one of my dragoons arms. She was gagged, so she couldn’t call her brethren and tied, still she jerked her body around catching the dragoon off balance here and there.

My eyes fell on a jagged piece of jutting out rock and I indicated for the dragoon to take his captive there and to bind her against the rock.

Samurg kept pointing up, there was something he wanted to show me. Satisfied the siren wouldn’t cause any trouble right now, I followed Samurg.

A small translucent bubble came into view, glowing from within, the size of my hand. Then another, this one a bit bigger around and another. Something dark moved inside the fourth. Curiously I swam toward it. Inside the translucent bubble, was another, darker shadow that wiggled. Was it a worm ?

Samurg tapped my shoulder, pointing. I followed him to another bubble, this one bigger than the others. My breath caught when I realized the dark form inside was an embryo. An embryo with a long tail.

These were eggs. Or birthing sacs.

A commotion to my left turned my attention. Three of my dragoons were fighting with two sirens. Three more of my dragoons swam toward the battle. I kicked my feet to propel me forward just as a fourth siren appeared.

If this was where they kept their offspring, than this place had to be their nest, a very, very protected nest.

As if on cue, more sirens appeared, so many, they soon outnumbered us as the fight turned deadly. Knives were drawn, to ward off extended claws.

A hand made a grab for my tank. Knife out I turned, facing a siren.

No matter what though, I couldn’t bring myself to stab at a seffy and neither could my dragoons. All eyes were on me when I dropped my knife, pointing at my scales I showed the sirens who I was. They wouldn’t dare hurt a vissigroth, their vissigroth. Even if we had inadvertently invaded their nest.

With a sigh I resigned myself to a very unpleasant conversation with Sarissa.

We followed the sirens as they kept going up, then turned to the left, where more eggs or sacs hang from lines, filled with dark shadows. So many, it was turning into a blinding sight .

As we swam by though, I noticed that not all dark shadows inside had tails, some had obvious legs and I swallowed, as I began to suspect that this was where our annual crop of younglings came from.