Creus(Full Book)

Part 18

He woke up. Brighter, and red, gold, blue, filling the cave. Glowing sparks flew up from the cave floor. A shadow cast along the floor. Footsteps echoed toward him. He heard muttering, whispering. David listened...

"Salgon....Salgon...Salgon....Salgon....Salgon....Salgon", it muttered and repeated these words again, "Salgon....Salgon....."

The sound echoed louder, and two glowing lights came from the dark. Glowing red, blue, and gold. Scurrying near him, David slowed his breathing. More footsteps, and footsteps echoing. The muttering grew louder, the thing walked near him...

He looked at it, no ears, with a symbol. Carved on its forehead, leaking blood, glowing along with it. From the Abyss... Sent from the Abyss... There it went, sending another one.... Not at a time like this.... Not... No.... He closed his eyes. To wait now.... Wait for now.... Wait....

Demons. There they went. They followed the thing that spewed forms of Galtrand, Gotund, and Quand out of its fingertips. Onto the floor, forming domes, and beside him, followed the creatures. Each of the gray creatures moved with it. They listened, saw, and scrabbed past him, claws glinting. All of them stared at the great thing in the center. He opened his eye to a sliver, and saw Salgon. The eyes swiveled to face him, and he closed his eyes.

Feet moved toward him. Salgon had seen him. He quieted his breathing.

Salgon... Salgon.... Salgon.... Salgon.... Salgon... Salgon had done this.... Salgon.... Salgon... Salgon...

Feet moved away. Salgon hadn't seen him... He sighed in relief quietly...

They moved away, a crowd behind him, continuing, in grey masses. All blurry, moving past him, as he shut his eyes. Away, they went, he'd survived, survived again, and away they went. Words echoed past him.

"Salgon...Salgon...Salgon...Salgon", the demons chanted in raspy voices. He heard his heartbeat slow, and his breathing quicken. His eyes fluttered open. The bag was still there, everything was still there. Gone, they were moving east...

Around him, red, blue, gold, glowed. All in domes, below the ceiling, the ceiling of silver scales. His eyes averted the site. All red, blue, gold, burning him, tearing at his skin...

It'd be alright, past the domes, past the creatures, up the cave, then onto the mountain. He'd get to the top! He'd get out of the cave.... He'd get there.... He'd get there...

After the echoes died down, he stood up, drank some more water. Two gulps left, two left, he'd save it for them for later. Now, he needed to get to the top, ...

Rumbling... Erupting from the ceiling, dying down, scrabbling.... Some noise.... His hands gripped the stone, up into the next ledge then, rumbling more.... He needed... to get .... There.... ... When... he'd get there.... He'd find... the Prophet.... Then.... Get back...

Onto another ledge, more rumbling, from the sky, from the ground. Running, some steps below, coming out of the cave. Two people, out of the grey, a lantern of light. He looked down, squinting, focusing on the light, the lantern swung. It creaked, then some talking, rushed, slurred, too fast for him to hear.

"Hello?", David shouted, "Hello?"

Down it went, the sound glancing off every wall, every nook, every cranny, into the air, echoing down.

"David...David?", Bernard's voice radiated throughout the cave, "David?"

"Right here!", David shouted. There they were, not dead, not dead! Onto Pnoaphales, not alone, never alone, going forward! Finally forward, finally forward. "Right here!"