Chapter Fifty-Two

The Nithe

The ground began trembling. The stalactites in the cave ceiling shook, dislodged, and shattered as they hit the floor.

Michael drew back his arrow and yelled above the noise, “What is this thing?”

Magnus stepped ahead of their line and let his scythe swing back and forward as his eyes glittered. “It’s a Nithe. Fully grown by the sound of it.”

“We sure about this plan?” called Oliver, his hand clenched tightly around the handle of his sword.

Nichole drew back an arrow. “Nithes are faster than stallions, Oli. There's no running.”

The rumbling came to a sudden stop and a thick silence set over the group.

Something shifted at the edge of the heavy shadows, and a dark breath seethed from behind the veil of nothingness.

Michael glanced to his left and found the gaze of a handful of his companions, and before he had the chance to pose a question, the Arcancy in his veins flushed in the back of his skull.

Suddenly Michael felt like he was under water.

With their eyes connected in the moment of question, a conversation flowed through them. It was unlike anything Michael had ever felt. Often, he’d smirked at a friend and known what they were thinking but this was as though all things had fallen away. As though someone had stopped his heart between beats. As though all things besides the people within his glance didn’t exist at all.

Michael looked about him as he felt the power moving through his muscles. He found the little flowing creeks had frozen in their place, and falling stalactites were suspended in the air. The others beside him were the only things fluid and moving. They were tense and twitching- all except Aroha -utterly scalding with Blood Magic.

Michael looked at his hands. A part of him saw them shift and move in amongst his confused gestures, but behind every movement he saw another set of his own hands, frozen exactly where he’d been before, like a shadow he’d left behind. “What in the depths of Enthall is this?” he said, finding his voice hollow and far away.

“We call it the Instinct,” said Oliver, looking agonisingly to him, and somehow still in the same, sword-ready position as before.

“Why is everything doubled-up?” Michael asked, moving his hands to his head only for his body to erupt in aching pain.

“Stop!” yelled Nichole. She and everyone besides Michael had stayed in the exact same positions as when they started. “If you drift too much then the link will break. Stay still. We only have a moment.”

Michael lowered his hands back to where they had been but couldn’t stop himself from jittering and shaking. The heat of his magic bloomed up his back and into his head and a swirling sickness came about him. Every movement was like pushing through shattered glass. “A moment to do what?”

“Come up with a plan. That Nithe is about to rip through our entire line and kill us. Does anyone have any ideas?”

James and Carter glanced at one another before returning to their positions and Rose, Sarah and Oliver remained silent.

It was only then, out of the corner of his eye that Michael noticed Magnus and Aroha were frozen along with the rest of the world. “Why are those two not a part of this?”

Nichole gritted her teeth and urgently said, “Because Ari’s not a Legacy and Magnus isn’t connected by eye-contact, now stop asking questions, we need a plan!”

Oliver jolted heavily and his entire body hunched over as he began violently trembling. “I can’t hold!”

Michael didn’t think and shouted, “Nicky, grab Aroha and Magnus! Everyone get up against the wall of the out-cove!”

With his final syllable, Oliver let go of the link and their magical entwinement collapsed. Stalactites hit ground with a smash! Creeks began trickling again. And in the dark, a seething breath growled.

They each drew their weapons and sprinted to the right as Magnus and Aroha were both dragged along in sharp confusion.

Michael pressed himself flat against the wall and held his bow so tight he could feel the inscribed patterns imprinting on his palm.

Carter drew out two long daggers, both silver as the moon with black, wooden handles. “Michael, light it up!” he whispered.

Michael drew his hand away from the arrow and let a quick, misshapen clump of yellow light form in his palm. He threw it like an empty bottle and it stuck high in the centre of the cave ceiling. Michael gritted his teeth and forced it to brighten.

Light was cast throughout the passageway and Michael’s stomach tightened.

End-to-end, the Nithe, as it was called, was nearly the size of a full street. Its lengthened scales flowed along its back, moving like tall grass blown in the wind. A red-torchlight radiated from its enormous single eye, casting a bloody light on the tusks which jutted angrily from the corners of its spine-toothed mouth. It was otherwise limbless, like some serpent that had sold its soul to Thall. With every exhale of air from the monster’s mouth, a sickly stench of rot rolled out.

Michael silently muffled a cough as he moved his hand to the string of his bow, and James slammed his palm over the archer’s mouth.

James looked him in face and shook his head. He mouthed It can’t see us. Look.

Michael clenched every muscle in his stomach to restrain another retch. James was right. Several long scars ran right up through the leviathan’s ruby-coloured eye, and instead of roaring through the passage, thrashing about like some deranged animal, it stared blindly around the room, shifting its entire body-mass without making a sound.

Michael felt his lungs begin to quiver and his throat begin to clench. He fought as hard as he could to keep to noise at bay as Nichole and Aroha both waved at him to stay quiet when a small cough slipped through his teeth.

It was no louder than pin-drop, but in a room accented by noiseless fear, it was as loud as a fumbled plate.

The beast swivelled its enormous, flat face in his direction, and let out a bellowing scream so loud that Michael’s eardrum briefly went into shock and his head was pounded by ringing.

The Nithe ripped toward him. Aroha slammed him out of the way and the Legacies bolted as it crashed into the cave wall, sending the entire cavern quaking. The company was broken in half as Aroha, Nichole, Rose, and Michael went the left, and James, Carter, Oliver, and Sarah flew right. Magnus was nowhere to be seen.

Oliver and Sarah leapt it at from behind its head, driving their blades through its plated scales with all the strength they could muster.

The worm bellowed and sent its fractured, curved tusks sweeping toward them and the warriors lurched backward to avoid it. The creature screamed out in rage and threw its snaking body in their direction, rolling its length along the wall in a cascading wave, forcing the Oliver, Sarah, Carter, and James to turn and sprint back down the cavern.

With its head turned, Nichole and Aroha each launched their readied arrows into its blindside, not so much as breaking its skin before the creature thrashed violently back in their direction, driving everyone into the out-cove of the wall as Aroha yelled, “Sarah, call Raeken!”

The creature screeched, searching blindly for a moment before raking its tusks along the stone, tearing free jagged chunks of stone as the rangers narrowly scrambled away. They slipped in next to Rose and Michael, stifling their heavy breaths as gravel and stone rained down where’d just been standing.

Sarah didn’t respond, knowing a single word would bring the creature hurtling toward herself and her friends. She looked to Aroha and shook her head, mouthing, He’ll take too long.

They stood in a petrified silence and Michael’s heart roared in his chest. This is not a steel fight. This is an Arcancy fight, he thought to himself, glancing down the line of Legacies. He then frowned deeply and mouthed to Nichole, the first person on his left, Where’s Magnus?

Nichole gave a distressed shrug.

Michael looked to the arrow on his bowstring. He hadn’t bothered firing it after seeing the result of Nichole and Aroha’s attempts. He slung the arrow back in its quiver, took a deep breath and yelled, “Everyone follow my lead and don’t let it get in front of you!”

Michael took off with a sprint toward the tail-end of the creature and his friends bolted alongside him as the monster’s head reared in their direction with a wailing screech.

It whipped its great, scaled tail high up toward them and the company dove into a slide as it slammed overhead, hitting into the wall with so much force that it sent a plume of rock dust out behind them.

Michael scrambled into a standing position, let his Arcancy flush to life and a thin shaft a crimson light beamed between his fingers. He blinked at the colour and decided he had no time to be confused, drawing and firing it toward the roaring face of the creature. The Arcancy exploded from his bow and struck one of the monster’s tusks, blasting it in half with a spray of white keratin, and sending it reeling in pain.

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Aroha screamed, “Is that it?”

“I’d appreciate it if you guys pitched in!” he yelled, drawing another blood-red arrow of Arcancy light. The pain ripped from his shoulder to his fingertips, and he gritted his teeth against it.

Sarah pulled her sword up in front of herself, shaking her head. “If I get close enough to hit it, it’ll pancake me!”

“And I doubt Nichole and I vanishing will do anyone much good here!” shouted Oliver.

The Nithe bellowed and began twisting its body so it was able to begin moving down the passageway toward them, double-backing past its tail and showering them in the red spotlight cast by its eye.

Michael launched another shot, lighting the entire chamber up as the Nithe was hit by the magic, sending it lurching backward in pain. “Who can do something?” He summoned another arrow and his shoulder roared with pain. Michael doubled over and as his head rolled with the seizing muscles, a droplet of blood ran down his face. “Oh gods.”

Oliver saw his face pale and quickly said, “Just ease up. It’s okay!”

Carter sheathed his daggers and shook out his hands. “Well, let’s try some lateral thinking.” He knelt to the floor of the cave and his veins came alive in his fingertips and knuckles.

The Nithe came worming down the passage again and Michael managed to pull up third arrow, striking the Nithe to a stand-still once more as red light painted the room.

Michael yelled, “Faster, please!”

The Nithe shook off the pain quicker and began inching forward, caught between the wall and its own double-backed body. Michael tried to summon another bolt of light and darkness clouded his vision.

Before he knew what was happening Oliver was holding him upright and spots danced in Michael’s eyes.

“Michael, that’s enough!’

The Nithe honed in on his scream and came barrelling forward once again, its enormous, flesh-ridden teeth gnashing and tusks swinging.

“Carter!” Sarah yelled, fighting every urge to turn and run as Aroha and Nichole ripped arrows toward the beast but the struck and clattered to the floor harmlessly.

“One more second!” Carter yelled, his hands flat on the stone as light tore across the veins on his bent back, glowing through his shirt.

The Nithe suddenly broke free of the friction and jolted forward, snapping at Carter only to get stuck again within five feet of the boy. It hefted its wagon-sized head and Rose tore forward, tackling Carter flat to the ground as tusks whipped overhead, smashing a spray of stone from the wall.

Rose rolled onto her back as the Nithe raised its head. Green light roared into her hands and shot into her bowstaff. The wood came alive and white tree roots clawed from either end of the bowstaff, sinking into the ground like supports as the tusks swung downward.

The blow smashed into Rose’s staff, crushing the roots but saving herself and Carter. Rose roared out and the roots thickened again as the creature raised up to strike again.

Sarah and Oliver bolted forward. Arrows flew from the hunters. Michael barely managed to look up in time to see the chaos unfold. Oliver tried to grab Carter and Sarah attempted to get the beast’s attention, waving and shouting.

The Nithe whipped its head in a feral circle, slamming Sarah and Oliver hard into the wall. They both hit ground, stunning and breathless. One of the arrows ricocheted off into the dark and the other sunk deep into the eye of the beast, but only to spur its violence. James managed to grab Sarah and Oliver, pulling them to safety.

Aroha fumbled for another arrow. “Carter! Rose! Run!”

The Nithe raised its tusks again but Carter was still locked into his magic, pressed against the floor.

Rose watched him hold his ground and gritted her teeth, setting her back against the floor, holding her bowstaff high.

The tusks came down with a screeching roar and slammed into the staff again.

This time the magic wasn’t enough.

The tusks pummelled through the strength of the roots, slamming Rose’s bowstaff against her body, crushing her into the floor as well as breaking against Carter’s back, knocking him down too.

Nichole tried to break forward but Aroha grabbed her.

Michael couldn’t feel the world any longer. The breath was gone from his lungs. The cold in the air was too thin to feel in his hands. And one of his oldest friends was about to die.

Michael reached toward his bowstring but the magic in the heart of him bloomed and his body convulsed and sent him writhing to his knees. He could only find the strength to yell, “Guys!”

The tusks came up again. Rose couldn’t move. Carter came to his knees.

He threw his hands up to the dark cave ceiling above and screamed out in agony as his entire body exploded in silver-lit veins, and just as the Nithe reared to strike a final time, a spine of raw iron shot out of the cave floor and blew some three feet deep into the creature’s underbelly.

The monster gave an eardrum piercing screech as Carter collapsed to the floor.

Michael and the rangers bolted forward, grabbing their friends and dragging them backward as the Nithe, pinned by the iron spike, violently thrashed in place. It lurched and tugged and the ore wouldn’t budge, though the tunnel trembled with every effort.

Rose looked to the others and barely managed to stand.

The Nithe whipped its head back toward the bulk of the group, forcing them back further and Sarah shouted, “Fuck this! Fall back!”

“Will you all relax?” yelled a voice in the shadows.

James, still cradling Carter further down the cave, yelled, “Magnus? Where are you? Where did you go?”

The unseen boy chuckled as the Nithe screeched and lurched toward Rose again, still unable to reach her. “Just been doing some reconnaissance. We can kill it. We just need to go against the grain.”

Michael tried to massage some feeling back into his shoulder as he barked, “What does that mean?”

Sarah grabbed him by the arm and said, “Against the grain, he’s right! The scales on this thing are hard as anything, but they all flow one way, like a pinecone!”

A deep crack sounded throughout the cavern and everyone present looked sharply at the thick column of iron, jutting into the creature. A thin line had begun to spread from its centre.

The Nithe’s roars quietened as it seemed to have to same realisation and began thrashing back and forward on the spot, rather than toward Rose or the others. It was moments away from breaking free.

Michael yelled, “We can’t hit it from this side!”

Another fracture-line split up the long spike of iron and the Nithe began twisting even harder, seemingly smiling with its mouthful of vicious, needle-teeth.

Oliver looked to Michael. “I’ve got a plan.”

“Care to share it?”

With a sound like the cracking thunder, the long shard of iron snapped under the weight of the Nithe and the beast tore itself free.

“Michael get behind it! Magnus, I need you! Everyone else run!”

“Oliver it’s blocking the whole fuckin’ tunnel-” but Oliver was already darting to the others, ushering them down the cave, further back.

The Nithe pushed further down against its own body and the wall and Michael gritted his teeth. “Give us a hoist, will you?”

Sarah blinked. “You must be joking.”

The Nithe snapped out toward them and launched forward, suddenly unstuck and Michael shouted, “Nope!”

Sarah bent to a knee and linked her fingers and Michael set his foot in her hands.

“This is a terrible idea!”

“Noted!”

The Nithe lunged and Sarah stood with all her strength, hoisting Michael up into the air. He narrowly missed its swinging tusks and landed messily on the creature’s back, rolling down the other side and back onto the floor.

He pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming and then surveyed the situation. The creature’s curled body left its scales open at the u-bend it made. Michael didn’t bother reaching for a steel arrow and began to breathe deep breaths.

“Make way, Williams.”

Michael turned to see Magnus bolt from the dark and leap up onto the creature’s back. He scaled over its jolting body, leapt and landed at Oliver’s side in front of its snapping head.

“What’s your plan?”

Oliver timed it between two gnashing attacks, dashed forward and slashed his iron blade into the eye of the Nithe before leaping backward. “Run!”

In its rage, the Nithe managed to come barrelling down the cave after them and came completely free of any entanglement. All eight of the remaining Legacies sprinted deep into the darkness.

Magnus yelled, “What is wrong with you, Jacobs!”

“Michael, now!” Oliver shouted.

Magnus threw his free hand out behind him and his Arcancy flared to life. The Nithe shrieked in agony but it didn’t slow it down.

Michael drew bright thin shafts of light and sent them blasting under the scales of the creature’s limbless body. Every one he conjured and let fly was like pouring a piece of his heart into his hand and casting it into the dark. Spots began to dance in his eyes.

The creature wailed out each time and upon the third strike it even began to slow.

Sarah stopped running, turned with her sword ablaze and cleaved the unbroken tusk clean off. Aroha and Nichole both lodged arrows into the beast’s scarred eye. James was holding Carter upright, narrowly keeping him from falling back unconscious. He handed Carter off to Rose and ran in to assist.

Michael shouted, “It’s slowing down!”

The monster bellowed and heaved its head at Sarah who narrowly avoided, but James entered at precisely the wrong moment and the Nithe ripped its head to the left in a violent backswing. It caught James full on in the ribs with its broken tusk and sent him into the cavern wall like a ragdoll.

Carter watched as James’ limp body hit the wall then the ground, lying there unmoving.

Carter screamed out James’ name as his Arcancy boiled beneath his skin.

Michael heard the shout and the name and it filled him with him with so much horror that his stark-red magic turned black as night.

Carter’s Arcancy and his cacophony of fear touched the iron spike, broken but lodged in the Nithe’s stomach, and detonated it at the same moment that Michael loosed an arrow dark as an eclipse.

The Nithe exploded into a swimming pool of black sludge, flowing down both ends of the tunnel at ankle height, like a rancid tidal wave.

Everything became quiet again.

Michael and Carter tore through the pool of monster essence and fell to their knees at the James’ side.

Carter’s eyes were blinking tears as he yelled, “James! Can you hear me? Michael, I don’t think he’s breathing!”

Michael shoved his panic deep down and put his head on James’ leather chest plate. “Carter be quiet.” He couldn’t hear a heartbeat. Michael shook his head and ignored it. It’s the leather, it’s too thick. “Give me a dagger. Now!”

The other Legacies gathered around with bated breath, also trying to get the monster’s essence off of themselves before it began descending, as much of it already had, pushing its way through the cave floor. Carter shakily handed Michael a polished blade.

Michael held the dagger-blade gently above against James’ top lip, careful not to cut him, and watched as the silver steamed with a small exhale from the unconscious boy’s nose. Michael tossed the knife to the ground and slumped back in relief. “He’s breathing. He’s breathing. He’s alive.” He began loosening the straps of his armour but his hands were shaking.

Carter covered his face as tears came out and he tried to steady his own breaths. Finally, he looked up to the others. “You guys okay?”

Oliver and Sarah were both tenderly nursing their own stomachs but otherwise no one was far too worse for wear.

Aroha knelt down and began stripping the muck out of James’ hair.

After a moment a little smile widened on James’ barely conscious face. “That feels nice.”

Everyone let out a thicket breath of tension and Aroha placed her forehead on James’. “You can have all the hair brushings you like.”

James squeezed her hand and said, “Thanks, but I was talking about Michael undressing me.” He began to laugh and then stopped wincing, “Nope, that’s the ribs.”