Chapter 36

Noora

A startled inhale rattled her lungs and the next time she took a breath Noora rolled to her side, vomiting a river of water out of her lungs onto the stone. A green inky liquid left her lips until she flopped to her back again, her vision slowly focusing on the rocky structure above her.

Stonewalls as large as the palace towers surrounded her, only a streak of sunlight emitting from the top. Sharp stone edges jutted out from the walls in irregular patterns, creating a natural staircase that led to a small hole at the top.

A small cackle made her turn her head lazily until she saw a small opening in the rocks letting waves of water flow in. When she saw what made that noise she grabbed blindly for her bow and drew an arrow, making the creature duck slightly before Noora realised what she was doing.

“You saved me,” her voice rasped as she stared at the Margygr. It let out another cackle, slowly swimming closer. Noora put her bow away, the metal clattering on the stone floor. The sea mermaid drew closer, its hands grasping the stone Noora lay on, her fingers were connected with a see-through web texture as she cackled again.

“Thank you,” Noora said. Then she realised another thing as she looked around. She was inside a rocky cave, moisture building along the walls, the air reeking of mold. Water crystallized at the ceiling, hanging down like sharp weapons.

“Is this the underwater entrance?”

The creature chattered softly, its hand shifting on the rock and aligning itself with Noora’s. She looked down at both their hands, one pale, dirt caked under the nails, the palm littered with small scars; the other scaley green, long sharp claws that curled inward and small cuts dusting over the knuckles.

Noora looked back up to the Margygr’s face, its pupils smaller now that they were not in the dark underwater. “Is there a way for you to get back to sea?” Noora asked and the creature blinked, the corners of its deathly mouth turning downward. Noora looked around the cave until she noticed a light tucking at her left knee. The shattered bone barely bothered her now and she could see why. Her knee was bandaged with seaweed, drawn tightly so she was barely able to bend it and prevent it from flaring up.

She looked back up at the sea mermaid who was collecting little rocks scattered around the cave, shaping them into a small circle.

“Do you have a name?” Noora asked, drawing its gaze back to her. Her mouth opened and a guttural sound escaped its throat, its gills flaring. “That sounds great. How would you feel about Tang?”

The creature let out a sound that she interpreted as agreement.

“All right, I will have to finish what I came here for and that is going to take a while but I promise I will come back for you. And then I will somehow get you out of that lake, Tang.” Noora promised her. Tang looked at her with sad eyes, blinking before dipping back into the water. “No!” Noora called but it quickly resurfaced its gills flaring happily. It just went underwater to breathe.

Noora started to reach for her belt where she stashed the small satchel with dates in it. “Do not go near that carved opening again, whoever did this to you might check on it. I will come back in a few days and call you then.” She slipped out two dates and placed them on the rock for the sea mermaid to take. Tang slowly crept forward in the water and snatched up the dates before putting one in her mouth, her sharp teeth breaking through the core inside it. “You’re not supposed to…” Noora trailed off as Tang let out a delighted sound. Her lips twitched slightly as she surveyed the cave, her eyes zeroing in on another small opening near the top which would probably lead into a tunnel.

“I have to go now.” She turned back to Tang who had risen out of the water slightly, revealing her curved upper body. Noora blinked in surprise when its wet hands took hold of her cheeks. The creature leaned in and dropped something close to a kiss against her forehead, a warm feeling spread through Noora, ancient, though familiar. Magic.

Tang sunk back into the water and Noora got up to her feet slinging her bow and quiver onto her back. The broken skates lay disregarded at the side as she gave the creature a last glance. “I will be back.”

Then she started to climb the rocky cave and paid meticulous attention to not bending her left knee, which posed a harder action than climbing the rocks. She broke out in a sweat until she reached the opening, Tang’s encouraging bellow following her through the dimly lit tunnel. She used her hands barely able to stretch out until they reached the borders of the tunnel. The tips of her fingers slid along the cold granite.

Her careful steps were the only sound surrounding her in the pit of the mountain and now that she had a moment to herself her body started to complain. Whatever Tang did it helped manage the pulsing pain in her knee, though now she had time to breathe, she felt a stab in her left side. Her lungs were still aching from the lack of oxygen she went through in the lake, and her face felt like it had been ground against a board of nails.

Suddenly a cold bellow echoed through the tunnel as it slowly bent to the right, making Noora stop. She hesitated for a moment, her breath hitching as she waited for the sound again but nothing happened. The space was too small for her to draw an arrow, so she went for a knife stashed in her weapons belt, the grip heavy in her hands. It immediately calmed her.

With newfound courage she started walking again, she could feel the air growing warmer and she figured she was walking towards the surface again as the tunnel slightly tilted upwards. Dragging her left leg behind her, she walked upwards, gravel crunching under her shoe, until she heard it again.

It sounded like a deep growl that made the walls of the tunnel shudder with its force. Noora did not want to meet whatever creature made that sound. Out of nowhere, the gravel turned to big stones, and her foot caught against one, propelling her forward.

She groaned as her chin collided with the ground, the skin of her palms scraping against the floor. “Godsdamnit,” she cursed as she felt something sharp embedded in her right thigh. With the lack of light, she slowly sat up feeling for whatever was stabbing her thigh.

Her hands trailed up blindly until her fingers closed around a smooth sharp object. She pulled it out of her leg biting her lip in pain so as not to let out a yell to gain the attention of whatever was residing inside the mountains. Already exhausted from this fall she continued to sit for a moment, her fingers driving over the sharp object until her hard stopped. No. It could not be.

With a groan, she got back up to her feet, her heartbeat pulsing in her ears as she took another step forward, stones crushing beneath her boots. With growing suspicions, she drove forward, she needed to escape. The tunnel grew thinner, squeezing her sides and her breaths came faster and shorter. Squeezing herself through the tunnel in agony, stones crushing beneath her weight, she could feel an air draft come from the direction she was approaching. She needed to squeeze only a little farther.

Her heart was beating agonisingly fast now that the crushing of stones sounded around her. Her lungs screamed at her for air as deep panic grew inside her, clawing its way to the surface.

Noora was on the verge of hyperventilating as the tunnel took a sharp turn and suddenly gifted her with a flicker of light. Thank the gods.

The space expanded and Noora broke out into a run, scraping her arms against stone, her left knee protesting again but she pushed until she escaped the tunnel and landed in a lighted cave again.

She doubled over, her body aching, her breaths heaving out of her, desperately. Her head was turning dizzy and she quickly shut her eyes, trying to regain her strength as her heart slowly went back to its usual rhythm.

It was only when her breaths slowed down and the strong ache in her left knee turned to a dull knocking that she slowly stood back up, her gaze drawn to the entrance of the tunnel she escaped out of.

A horrified gasp left her lips as her assumption was confirmed by the picture in front of her. One could only see little of the tunnel’s contents, though they spilled out of it like gold coins did in a treasure chest. But instead of coins, it was bones. Human bones were spilling out of the tunnel in masses, littering the ground around the cave. Skulls with deep holes driven in their eyes, their mouths gaping as if in a scream. Arms and legs were strewn around carelessly and only now that she saw the full monstrosity of the cave did something else hit her. The smell.

It smelled like decaying flesh, and although she could not make out its source, the smell was so stark it made her eyes water. What in Hel was living in this cave?

To her left was a small bridge made out of human bones and only now did she drop the sharp object that stabbed her in the thigh. It was a human finger.

Her eyes still stinging she disregarded the finger bone and stepped over to the bridge. Who built it?

There was no human around here but it could only be built by one. It led up to what looked like a small island in the cave, made out of stone. It was not the island that caught her attention, it was what was on it.

The ground was littered with golden coins so bright they reflected their lights against the walls of the opened cave, creating small patterns against the stone. This was the treasure. She could make out boxes full of rubies, emeralds shaped like teardrops, sapphires glinting in various forms. Pearl necklaces were knotted with each other, gilded shields strewn around carelessly. There was a small pedestal in the middle of the treasure, a stone put atop it. A silver blade was sheathed into the stone, the long blade drawing up into a narrow hilt, gilded in swirls. A ruby was embedded into the pommel, smaller emeralds arranged around the cross guard. The ricasso narrowed in, like the waist of a woman until it drew out into a strong blade.

Noora was not one to be dazzled by beautiful weapons or shining crystals but this was the most beautiful sword she had ever seen in her life. It looked like it was calling her name, a desperate cry in the stuffy air of the cave.

Noora hesitated. Stuffy air?

There was a soft breeze residing in the cave moments ago but now the air was hot, like she was standing on coals, or a volcano that grew active.

Hot air met her neck and she heard a sound, amidst her admiring the sword. Something was breathing.

In a matter of seconds, she let go of the knife, the blade clattering to the ground until it scattered off the edge and fell into the black nothingness residing under the bone bridge. In one movement she drew an arrow and turned, her hair whipping around her back. Her eyes widened when she spotted her cave mate and she realised an armada would not be able to help her in this dilemma and an arrow did not even come close to ensuring her survival.