XI
Kean led Niamh and Lorcan back to the Cells. As they
got closer Lorcan became more and more agitated. Creeping through the
darkness, they came upon an entrance to the Caverns. Motioning them
closer, Kean picked the lock and eased the door open.
“Once we
are inside, be wary of anything you come upon.” She whispered. “Who
knows what has been twisted beyond all recognition?”
As if in
answer to this, a Howler began wailing in the darkness off to their
left. This started a chorus of screams, swelling to ear shattering
crescendos and then sudden silence.
Confused, Lorcan turned
toward Kean. All her contrived humanity had dropped away and she had
begun whispering in a language he did not understand. Turning toward
Niamh, he froze. Niamh’s face reflected something he had never seen
before. She was radiant, glowing like a candle in the dark. The wires
beneath her skin shone as if she were made of glass. She was ethereal,
like a goddess risen from the dead. Transfixed on Kean, Niamh moved with
fluid grace, swaying like a flower in a great storm.
As Kean’s
whispering grew louder, changing and shifting until it was a song of
battle, Lorcan felt himself being pulled. It felt as if a hand gripped
his construct heart and was dragging him under waves of physical and
electrical sensation.
Then, suddenly, the Caverns were alive. The
Howlers staggered out of the tunnel. Hundreds of them mangled beyond
repair, yet glorious to behold. Wires snaked up and out of the earth,
twisting and writhing. Firelight exploded, setting everything ablaze.
Lightning glittered in Kean’s eyes and in her hands was a tiny ball of
fire.
Kean’s army had been called to war.
No comments:
Post a Comment