Etherea: The Lost Daughter

13

They shivered in the darkness; night had fallen far too quickly. Hooves scratched against stone as they walked in eerie silence. Uaine took the lead once more, they kept Rian in the middle of their pack. This left Nia furthest behind as she gripped Torrin tighter, her head whipped at every creak that came from the snow-capped mountains. Its jagged stone jutted out towards them as the path narrowed, Nia realised they should not have brought the horses along. They had long left behind the yellow aspen trees that lined the entrance to the stone valley. Deep purple coral bells sprouted from the base of the stone, a small reminder of life within the hollow crevice of the mountain. Traders had once filled this route. Nia heard, for the third time, a rustling beneath the mountain "what is that sound?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper in the catacomb silence that wrapped around their group.

A heavy sigh from Torrin made Nia wish she had kept her mouth shut; his shoulders tensed as he spoke "this... this is where it happened. Ciar had tricked us all, the Fae of the Sapphire Court and the last Elves of the Ruby Court, any who dared still support Riona. They met here... And Ciar trapped them beneath the earth" Nias stomach churned as her eyes darted around the jagged rocks. She could not imagine it, people trapped beneath their feet "you said before, that you had found ways to communicate. Are they alright?" Nia knew it was a silly question, she would definitely not be all right should she be encased in stone.

It was a cruel fate, to never see the light of day again. To live with the memory of a beautiful land; to know you will never touch the earth again. "They are surviving, I do not think Ciar expected them to. They govern themselves, but they have not found a way to escape" Torrin need not say more, Nia heard the words unspoken. Surviving, but not living. It only brought anger bubbling back within her, she took a breath to calm the swell in her stomach. That scratching noise sounded once more; this time, Uaine drew to a halt. It was in fact, not the rumbling of the people beneath them; but a creature stalking them.

In a flash, Uaine turned to warn his friends. It was too late. Nia felt herself ripped from the saddle; jagged stones jabbed her skin as the creature dragged her down a winding path; through a crack in the rocks they had not noticed before. Nia screamed as its talons pierced her shoulders. White hot liquid gushed from her flesh. Torrin tried to follow, but the magic that entombed the Fae prevented him from entering. Her wails echoed through the chambers of the mountain, Rian threw himself at the crevice; it was useless. Uaine said a silent prayer and placed his palm on the bedrock and sent magic, carrying whispers, through the earth. He hoped his friends would hear him; hoped that they remained. Although they received word from time to time, Uaine and Torrin still feared that Ciar would find a way to eradicate the people he had left beneath the earth and finish what he started.

Nia struggled to peer up at the creature, white spots filled her vision at the burning hot pain in her shoulder. She blinked twice at what she saw, almost did not believe it. The thing which gripped her, had three heads. After what felt like forever and a day, its' claws screeched to a halt as it threw Nia into an open cavern. A pool of water rippled as she rolled across the earth, liverworts and lichen littered the walls. Long winding crystalised stones dropped from the ceiling like icicles, some rose from the cave floor. Her breath rasped in her chest; crimson blood poured down her arms. Nias knees knocked as she scrambled to her feet. Her hands fumbled for the dagger at her waist.

Glowing moss gave her little aid as her eyes attempted to adjust to the darkness. Fear and pain clouded her mind, she relied on her ears as she listened for its razor-like claws scratching the bedrock. She stumbled backwards as that harrowing scraping noise drew closer; and found herself falling backwards. Stones fell beneath her body as she dropped to the ground, the whoosh of air above her head told her to be grateful for her clumsiness. Nia willed herself to focus, to draw from within and pull that light outward once more. She wished she had not, wish she had learned her lesson the first time she had illuminated a room hiding a horrid creature. Three jaws of serrated teeth came gnashing towards her, Nia scrambled backwards. Her stomach lurched as she glanced down, the stones she had pushed aside were not stones. The room was filled with bones. It terrified her, sent a sickening wave of unease through her body.

A surge of adrenaline gave Nia the strength to roll to the left and pull herself to her feet once more. A pool of black water at her left, the winding path she had been dragged down at her right. Nia did not know how far they had come, nor did she know the path; but she also could not swim. Her body ached already; she was not sure she would survive this event. The beast took her pause to its advantage, it whipped one of the three tails Nia had not noticed. It knocked her off her feet, sent the breath wheezing from her lungs. Nia choked on a sob and willed herself to do something. Anything. Protect yourself, you fool, that voice snarled in her mind once more.

Nia growled as she rose, her vision blurred as the blood still poured from her shoulders. It dripped from her fingertips at her sides, running would be no use. She would leave a trail. So, it was decided, she would fight. Nia summoned what little strength she had left; her eyes found the glowing hilt of her dagger behind the beast. If she could reach it, her luck might change. The head closest to her snapped it jaw once more, she narrowly avoided it, and she put herself squarely in the path of its left head. Snake eyes stared back at her, furious, as if it were angered by the protests of its meal.

Nia dived and tumbled beneath its lengthy form, it was almost like a lizard; if a lizard stood eight feet tall, three tailed and three headed. Her fingers scraped the earth, she resisted a shudder as her nails cracked. Nia had grabbed the dagger; a tiny sense of triumph filled her as she lunged. No time for celebration, she could not hesitate and plunged her dagger into the scaled flesh of the creature.

The shriek that resonated through the mountain sent sweat trickling down Torrins brow. He did not know that it was the creature that released that harrowing sound. Terror filled him as he thought of her, trapped and alone within the mountain. Uaine heard the whispers beneath the earth as he held firm to the stone and turned to his friend "we must go, we will be met by the pools of Linn" Torrin had no choice but to trust his words as he mounted his horse once more. The trio took off with haste, none willing to think she might not meet them on the other side.

The beast snarled at the girl; its blood mixed with her own on the cavern floor. Nia found some solace in the thought that if she were to die here, it would die alongside her. She knew the thought to be cruel, but in that moment, she did not care. Another whip of its tail came towards her, Nia jumped backwards, the sharp edge of its arrow-like tip sliced her forehead. Nia cursed as sticky warm liquid rolled down her face and stung her eyes; but still, she resisted. She pulled what focus she could to her mind and begged the earth for strength as she clasped her hands around the dagger. Once more, it glowed furiously. The white-hot hilt burned her flesh yet again, a crackling static filled the air. Wisps of crimson riveted around her, and a blindingly bright scarlet beam shot towards the creature. It fell like a dead weight, the sound boomed around the mountain. Loose stones and piles of bones shook as it clattered to the ground.

Her breath came in gasps, her chest cracked as she weakened. Relief turned her adrenaline to dust as her limbs shook. So, when the creature rose and lunged for her; Nia was blindsided. She flew backwards, her hands scrambled to grab the centre head coming towards her. As the ice-cold water slapped her back, Nia shoved her dagger upwards, through the gaping mouth of the monster. She had no choice but to breathe in the stench pouring from its gnarled teeth as she slipped beneath the water. As if to add insult to injury, it fell with her. The water warmed as she descended. Nia was faced with two problems, the weight of the beast was dragging her quickly to her death and if she somehow managed to free herself; she still could not swim.