Chenga

The Lair

Eylana tested the air.

'There's something ahead.  It's not rocks or rats.  I can smell people... and something else.'

A faint light began to appear in the distance.  They turned a corner to see a long passage.  Torches flickered, with low flames that threw shifting shadows on the walls.  Through the shadowed gloom, they could make out two huge doors.  With weapons drawn, they edged slowly forwards.  Gradually, as they drew nearer, faces and figures appeared in the dark.  They tensed, preparing to fight, but then realisation dawned.  What they saw were just carvings.  Giant, black, winged creatures, bat-like and clawed, fought against others that looked like winged humans, with faces that were fair, but grim and bold.  From what they could see, the dark creatures were having the best of the fight.

Two large keyholes were set into the doors that were ornamented with the carvings.  Simarl lowered his head and peered through one of the holes.

'It's light inside, but there's no-one I can see.'  He spoke in a whisper to Eylana and Nirgalen.

'Okay... we go in.'  Eylana looked towards Nirgalen, who just nodded.

All three pushed against one of the doors.  It swung easily upon its massive hinges.  It made no sound and ahead was only silence.

With the door open, they gazed upon a massive hall that lay behind the doorway.  Torches lined the walls and a fountain sprayed water upwards to the high, vaulted stone ceiling.  Tiers of ornate stone seats rose to either side, starting from about ten feet above the floor.  Gates and steps led upwards.  At the back of the hall was a huge winged throne, made of black iron.  A rough rock slope lay behind the throne and at the top of the slope they could make out a row of iron cages, half hidden in shadow.

'We're either very lucky... or there's something very wrong about all this.'  As he spoke, Simarl tightened his grip on the K'Vathin sword and edged his way into the room.

All three moved slowly, aware that something was lying in wait.

Eylana grasped a torch from the wall and edged forward with her staff held in her other hand, while Nirgalen flanked her to the left and right.  They mounted the stairs and passed the empty black, iron throne.  Behind the throne lay a large, flat bed, draped only in a blue silk sheet.  At the sides of the bed were manacles and chains, that were bolted into the stone floor.  The sheet was clean... and pristine.  It drew their gaze, as small folds and creases in the material formed almost fluid ripples and cascades in the dim light that fell from their single torch.  Nirgalen shook his head and looked away.  He touched Eylana lightly on the arm and she looked towards him with a start.  Nirgalen moved up to Simarl.

'Let's move,' were the whispered words that came from Nirgalen's mouth.  Simarl looked dazed, but followed, as Nirgalen stepped silently towards the rocky slope.  They carried on upward, making for the cages.

A faint hissing came to their ears.  The cages were in gloom and shadow.  It was hard to discern just what lay inside.  Eylana sniffed the air, savouring the smells.  She raised her torch and looked in through the black iron bars.  Glowing red eyes peered back at her and the hissing grew louder.  Huddled together were what had once been women and children.  A dozen or more lay behind the bars.  In the torch's light they looked pale and hollow-cheeked.  Their clothes were dishevelled and dirty, but their eyes told a darker tale.

Simarl drew closer.

'Their eyes...?'

'I think we're too late.'  Eylana stared at the faces of the captives in the cage.  Cold hatred was all she saw written upon their faces.  She searched for a face that she knew.  As her gaze moved from face to face, amongst the half-dead creatures before her, a little girl looked up.  Her eyes showed blue and a spark of recognition lit up her face, as she saw Eylana.  She smiled.

'Leyla?'  Eylana whispered the name.

The girl made a move toward the locked gate, but a mass of dirt-blackened hands grabbed at her.  Eylana thrust quickly through the bars with her staff and knocked several of the grasping hands aside.  Nirgalen moved fast to the gate of the cage.  In the blink of an eye, there was a click and the door swung open.  Simarl, Nirgalen and Eylana rushed headlong into the cage.  Hands clawed at them and a swarm of teeth snarled and snapped in the dark.  Eylana swept through the blackness like a being possessed, with the flaming torch and the white staff, striking to her left and right...but then, all movement stopped.

They saw the girl.  Small and blonde, she shook with fear and her fair blue eyes bulged.  Around her throat were wrapped the skeletal, bony fingers of what had once been an old woman.  The fingers ended in claws, which dug into the girl's tender, white flesh.  The old hag's mouth opened to reveal eye-teeth that were sharp and stained red.  She looked eager for blood.

All stood still... in what seemed like a stand-off.

The old crone then released her grip on the young girl.  It was only then that the girl, Leyla, looked at Eylana and laughed, showing her own sharpened canine teeth.  Behind came a heavy click, as the door to the cage swung shut and a heavy bar was slid into place.  Nirgalen, Simarl and Eylana then knew that the trap had been sprung and they were prisoners.

Nirgalen and Simarl looked behind them.  Surprised, confused and feeling light-headed, something rode the air and was affecting the way that they felt and thought.  A chill ran down Nirgalen's spine.  He smelt the air and detected a narcotic scent, that was somehow familiar.

From the dark, a form slowly appeared, moving with cat-like stealth in the shadows, but standing on two legs.  At the back of the creature, large, leathery, black wings beat the air, rhythmically and steadily, wafting a warm breeze their way.  It came closer.

Nirgalen looked and strained to make out features.  Again, confusion reigned in this mind.  He shook his head.  For a moment his vision was blurred and he struggled to see what stood on the other side of the hard iron bars.

Where he had felt a chill, he now felt only warmth.  His vision cleared and he looked beyond the cage door.  What he saw took him by surprise.  A figure of beauty stood before him.  Long blonde hair cascaded from a circlet of gold.  A full-figured woman, dressed only in fine flowing golden chains, which moved, as she walked, was slowly approaching.  Fingerless, black gloves covered the woman's arms to the elbow, but revealed talons on finely formed fingers, and, rising above the woman's head were two large black wings, which hung, folded and poised in the air.  The woman's face looked mischievous, but smiled straight at Nirgalen.

It was only the sound of heavy footfalls that broke Nirgalen's fascination with the woman outside the cage.  Walking, at a pace, up the rocky slope, were a horde of moving figures.  K'Vathin, Peytahn and what must have once been Rock Trolls, now stood at the back of the beautiful creature.

'I'm so glad you found your way back to me... sister.'  The creature spoke in a husky voice and looked towards Eylana.  'Now... if you'd be so kind as to lay down your weapons, there's a little something I have in mind for you.'  The voice, just like the scent on the air, was alluring and hypnotic.

In silence, Eylana laid down her staff and the torch.  The creatures behind her moved forward and began to remove her cloak.

'Nirgalen, Simarl... don't resist.  You wouldn't stand a chance.'

Nirgalen and Simarl cast glances at each other.  Nirgalen lowered his dagger and Simarl dropped the K'Vathin sword.  Slowly the sea of red eyes moved forward and the three were surrounded.