Shadow Phantoms - H.P. Mallory Page 0,54
it would kill him. I was not sure which.
He nodded and facing forward, I gripped a large rock ahead of me and throwing my foot round to the other side, I pulled myself up the steep incline. Standing atop the rock, I leaned over to my companion and reached out my hand. Scrote placed his dainty fingers in mine and I pulled him up its craggy face.
“We are here,” I said as I turned to face the opening of the cave. I glanced down at the green goo that continued to drip but decided not to investigate it. “Now we have only Auld Nick to fear, the devil himself.” I turned back to my companion. “Dinnae say a word whilst we are within the cave,” I started as I stared down at the much smaller man. “Sound carries.”
He nodded, the expression of fear within his eyes. “B… but what if I need to… to ask you somethin’? Or… what if… I hear somethin’ an’ need to… alert you?”
“Whisper,” I answered and then turned my back on him as I faced the cave. Inside ‘twas black as the Earl of Hell’s waistcoat but I did not allow that to frighten me. Blackness could not hurt a person. And, furthermore, a possible way out was a possible way out.
I took a step forward, into the cave and stayed close to the jagged rock walls. Another few steps and the smell of sulphur was thick in my nose. Mixed along with it was the musty, salty scent of a damp enclosure that had not seen fresh air in far too long. Another ten or so steps and my eyesight began to suffer. I found myself blinking repeatedly as my eyes attempted to make sense of the darkness. The brightness of the dying moon outside became nothing more than a pinprick, the further we voyaged into the recess of the cave.
“It’s… dark,” Scrote whispered from behind me as he tripped over something. “I can’t… barely see a thing.”
“Wheesht!” I scolded him whilst I turned around and held my index finger to my lips. I was not certain if he could see me. But he nodded and continued to follow behind me. Our momentum was slow, owing to the cave floor which was littered with rocks, algae and other undefinable debris. I lost my footing more than once.
As my eyes slowly adjusted to the near blackness, I found I was able to view more of the cave. Inside, it was immense, with walls that spanned nearly fifty feet in height. Atop the ceiling of the cave was a forest of sharp and pointed stalactites. Water dripped from their spikes, forming small pools upon the floor. Stalagmites rose up from the floor, making our procession slow and difficult. Upon them grew fungi that glowed green within the low light. This same fungi grew alongside the walls and ceiling of the cave, the glow casting an eerie light across the cavern. Here the air tasted and smelled metallic and the dripping of the water off the stalactites made no echo.
“Do you…s…s… suppose there’s b…b… bats?” Scrote whispered, not an inch from my ear.
“I dinnae know,” I answered with a shrug.
My feet faltered as they encountered uneven terrain. I glanced down and found myself standing atop a small hill of countless bones. I had no explanation for the bones, so I did not attempt one. Instead, I continued forward, Scrote at my heels.
We marched up an embankment and suddenly the smell of rot was thick in the air. I glanced down the other side of the small ridge and found a depression within the cave floor that interrupted our progress. Within the pit were numerous fungi of various colors and heights. The pit extended mayhap ten feet east to west and fifteen feet north to south. I was not certain how we should traverse it.
“Morse!”
I heard Scrote’s scream but not fast enough, for I felt the sting of an arrow puncturing my neck. The poison made quick work of spreading through me and after another second, I found I could not see clearly and my head felt heavy. I collapsed against the wall of the cave as a face came into my view.
‘Twas a woman. Her skin was orange and her hair was white and long. Her eyes glowed yellow in the low light, her lips opening to reveal a victorious smile.
“Mmm, he’s a big one.” A woman’s voice.
###
My head felt heavy and my eyelids even heavier. I