The Huntress of Iyhiri

Chapter 22

Agnez sucked in a few short, quick breaths. Yaalon did the same.

"It only took a couple minutes before we started feeling like something was wrong last time. We probably got as long as we did because we were near the opening and it was letting air in."

"Right," said Yaalon. "So we should know pretty quickly if this stuff works."

Agnez nodded. "Exactly. Let's try to orient ourselves and figure out where we are in the ship. Give it a minute before we move away from the hatch."

"Works for me." Yaalon handed Agnez one of two torches he was holding. They took a few steps into the dark hall.

"Flint, poultices, torches...you've got a little bit of everything in that bag of yours."

"Rock and I have been attacked by many people with useful tools over the years."

"They should've let you be," she said as she took another step into the hall and held the torch up over her head. "Dizzy yet?"

Yaalon shook his head.

"Let's go then."

As they moved away from the opening, the walls on either side of them were black as a moonless night in a dense forest. The torches were so bright in the hall that Agnez had to shield her eyes.

"We need to put one of these torches out. It's too bright to see where we're going."

"Agreed," said Yaalon as he lowered his torch and wrapped a large cloth over the flame. The flame died out.

"How'd you do that?" Agnez asked, handing her torch to Yaalon. "That cloth should have lit."

"A little trick I picked up. I soak the cloth in a salt mixture. It won't work on big flames but with something as small as a torch, it puts it right out."

Agnez turned to look down the hall and realized that there were still two lit torches. She had her bow in hand, arrow notched, before she realized that there were also two Yaalons. And another woman, also aiming a bow. At her.

"What is this?"

"Reflections," said Yaalon. "No wonder it seemed so bright."

Agnez slung her bow over her shoulder and reached her hand out toward Yaalon. "I'll take the torch. Let's see what other interesting things we'll find here," Agnez said as she headed down the hall of mirrors.

The hall curved to the left and tilted downward. Agnez kept the torch over her head and held a knife in her left hand. The hall seemed to go on unendingly. As she was about to suggest turning back, a piece of mirrored wall slid to the right and disappeared inside of itself. She jumped back at the movement, expecting an enemy to rush through at her. When no one appeared, she stepped through the door. Yaalon followed.

Yaalon had his hands on her shoulders and was pulling her backwards through the door before he realized the Vi'qom monsters that filled the room were dead. Or half built. They couldn't die if they never really lived.

Dim lighting shone down from the ceiling. Large metal tables filled the room. Each was lined with metal bins full of various tools. Some had varieties of shrubs and small trees on them. Others had what appeared to be sleeping animals that Agnez knew from Iyhiri Forest. Looking closer, she realized that these animals were not sleeping. They were dead but somehow made to look alive. The silver discs and rods that Agnez saw in the monster they had destroyed near the pond lay on several tables. Piles of what appeared to be their gray skin lay in large round bins in the center of the room. Buckets of the black liquid she had seen in the monster were on the floor near several tables.