Theurgy: The Journey's Dawn (Book One)

Chapter 8 The Lamia

The first sign that something was wrong was indeed the silence.

The chamber ended abruptly at a large circular section, darkened without a flame in sight. Thankfully, no pit of lava, or any pit in which case, was visible. From where they could initially tell, the room was bare without any curious marking of any kind. The bricks laid undamaged, and the large slabs of rock that made up the floor were smoothed to a fine texture. And yet, they sensed an eerie presence lurking within, although entirely out of sight. Knights are trained to feel the life energy among living creatures. It helps when trying to track down animals and criminals in the wild. But they sensed nothing. So, where did this unease come from?

Lyse decided to step in; first, his hand was firmly placed on his blade. There were no traps. All the bricks and slabs looked precisely the same, indistinguishable from one another. He still could not sense where this presence was, even if the room was nearly blank, until he noticed something moving in the corner of his eyes. He was not the only one who saw as Gray and Elena readied themselves, and Gray unsheathed their blade. Edlund wielded a knife that Elena had equipped but stayed behind both, knowing he's inefficient as support. Lyse immediately drew his sword and aimed it directly at the heap in the darkness, ready for it to pounce and for himself to cut it down. Still, the rise did not move. It stayed still. He could not tell what it was, but it was at least human size. It wasn't till he tried to move closer that did it do anything.

"Stay back!" yelled a shrill, hoarse voice as another sword peaked from the darkness. Lyse furrowed his brow and then made his sword glow in the dark to see this person. As it slowly lit, it revealed the figure to be another knight, fully dawned in armor. A quivering mess of a man was shuddering against the wall, and a shield pressed up against himself in protection. Utter fear was in his hazy eyes as they focused on Lyse's face. Blood could be seen dripping alongside his armor, and his sword was stained heavily. Upon seeing Lyse, the man leaped up and slashed out of pure fear. Lyse parried it effortlessly and tripped the man as he tumbled past him. Lyse has never seen anyone like this. His movement had no thought besides survival. As soon as he fell into the light of the corridor and in the sights of the rest of them, they all were taken aback, expecting some hulking creature to descend upon them. He was not expecting a babbling man fumbling with his sword and shield standing up.

"Who are you," Lyse pointed his sword at him in a warning. The man, upon seeing this threat, dropped his shield and held his sword tightly with both. The others decide to enter the room and surround them, sheathing their blades.

"I'm warning you," he went on, looking nervously at those who now surrounded him. "Stay back, please."

"I think he's mad, Lyse," Edlund said. "Just look at him. Jumpier than a cat."

"What happened?" Lyse asked him in calming tones, hopefully trying to relieve the tension. The man looked tiredly at those around them, as if for once taking in their features and realizing that they were not, in fact, monsters. He dropped his sword, clanging on the ground, then fell to his knees and began sobbing to himself uncontrollably. Streams of tears wet the floor as he completely broke down before them. It was more than an unsettling display. They could only guess what turned this man into such a wreck. Lyse looked around the room for any indication of danger. The other end seemed normal, the corridor continuing without any visible impediment.

"What happened to your squad," Lyse asked him. Of course, he already knows part of the answer at this point. They are most likely dead now. But he wanted to learn more.

"They're . . . dead," he said slowly. "They're dead, all of them. Ripped to pieces like bloody toys. It didn't leave a single scrap of them left."

"What exactly are you talking about?"