𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 | 𝐆𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐒𝐎𝐍

8 ⋆✶⋆ The Strange Encounter

As stone giants sprouting out of the ground the mountains of Rain and Night boomed when I gazed up. In contrast to them I was small and insignificant on my little black horse. Dark clouds hooded those hills that were riddled with creatures long forgotten by human civilization. It was where Morgarath had run to after being defeated on Hackham Heath sixteen years ago.

When I was growing up and had done something bad, my father would tell me that at night the evil lord would come galloping down from the mountains to our house and drag me into his castle. I wondered why Crowley had thought I had wronged him somehow, because out of all the available Rangers, I was bestowed with the honor of infiltrating it. Of course he had explained that I was the only one who might stand a chance at actually getting in through the secret maze that had been found by a scout, because there were no known females in the Corps.

With a swift jump I dismounted, landing softly on the harsh undergrounds that led up to enormous spiky rocks. Here and there grass still grew, but the green patches had slowly become less as I'd rode up through the thick pine forest and onto the barren grey wastelands. I took the map I'd gotten on my briefing out and looked where exactly I had to look, the cold air biting at my uncovered cheeks. Specially for this mission I had gotten a different uniform than normal, most of the woods colors had been replaced with ones I'd blend in more here more easily.

On the land chart a lake was drawn and on the other end of it should be the entrance. The same lake that we were at. It had a strangely perfect round circle shape and I wouldn't have swam in it even with Gilan. I thought I'd seen the shimmer of a spiky fin in there.

I sighed deeply as I swung into the saddle again, patting Vacker on her neck encouragingly. "Just a little further girl."

She shook her mane in response, gathering her last strengths as she sprung into fast sprint. We flew past the glittering dark blue surface the wind hacking and cutting at my bare face, but it didn't matter because for a moment I could still enjoy the company of my small shabby haired horse and ride. I stretched out my arms and let the reigns fall in a knot on Vacker's shoulders allowing the cool air fill my lungs. But my joy was ruined when I had to pick them up again because I felt a pair of eyes burning on me from somewhere high in the mountains. On a platform I could just see a tall black figure moving back into the shadows; it's tail my only clue it hadn't been a Wargal.

We arrived at the hollow corridor system shortly after, where I stashed Vacker into a nearby cave with enough food and water to last her a long while. Then I went into the marked tunnel, which I had only recognized because of the oak leaf that had been scratched into the walls. With some small provisions, a lantern, a small pouch with some necessities and all of the bravery I could muster I went into the freezing endless darkness.

The first thing I noticed about them in the bright light of my fire was that they didn't seem man-made like Crowley had sold it to be. He'd said these tunnels might've been from another age, made by ancient Pictians. However, the walls were clawed out, as if a beast had dug through stone. These weren't the strong rocks from higher up, but it still unnerved me. I followed the little crosses carved into the sides, which proved helpful as sometimes a crossroad would come up. At one of them, from the tunnel I hadn't entered, I heard screams. Terrible sounds that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my stomach turn. Like children being tortured.

A shudder went down my spine and I quickly walked on, because in my mind I had already imagined it to be my little brothers and so I ran and ran until it was no more. In my panic I hadn't thought to look to the signs that were guiding me towards the castle.

I looked back over my shoulder, which had quickly become a habit after passing many holes where I didn't see anything in, but did sense something lurking. My heart beat was quickly rising when I traced my steps, but couldn't find any markings anymore. They should've been there only moments ago.  I got the same feeling as when I thought I'd lost my oak leaf, that same stress, only a bit more suffocating, because I could die in here.

Frantically I turned into every other passage, hoping to find my way back, but only getting tangled further into the maze. The tunnels felt tighter, as did my throat. As if an invisible hand was choking me and I sucked in breaths so often my head felt oddly light. I was going to die in a tunnel on my first solo mission, great.

I found the strength to smile at the thought of Gilan flipping if I'd ever get to tell him this story. But my hope wasn't growing and I let myself slide onto the cold walls of the damp natural hallway. To shield myself from dying of having caught a fever (a less honorable death than this one, to say the least, but maybe less foolish) I fished a blanket from my pouch and wrapped it around me, blowing out the already dying (poor word choice) flames in my lantern. Sleep didn't find me of course, how could it when I knew I was going to meet my end?

Someone, no something else did stumble upon me.

The earth trembled and I had to shield my face from the falling debris. That's when I knew for sure I wasn't alone in these tunnels. A pair of glistering white orbs approached, swimming high in the black abyss surrounding us. Breathing unnaturally fast, I lighted a fire with trembling hands.

There in the growing glow burning from my lantern, stood a creature on two legs, two meters tall, similar to a rabbit. Upon taking a better look at it as it circled me with feline movements on all fours, I could recognize it had a predator's nose, fangs, claws and tail. A thick black fur coat that reached even to his ears, had cloaked him in the dark.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you," I whispered anxiously, "but I've lost my way and I can't find the path to the castle in the mountains."

It's whiskers tickled my neck as it reached down to sniff my hair, it seemed it was contemplating wether I was worth demolishing or not. I winced and let out a small yelp when it's sharp paw ran over my back, not hurting, just inspecting. Down to my last resorts I asked: "Could you help me?"

The beast suddenly stopped in it's tracks and looked me up and down, then rested it's gaze on my set of knives. And, I could be wrong and just have been so scared I was seeing things, but it seemed to smile as it laid down: a gesture for me to get onto it's back. Still shaking and sweating profoundly I managed to lay a hand on the dirty hair to test if it'd kill me or not. When the creature seemed okay with it I flung a leg over it's broad back. The seat was different than on a horse, more human.

The ride was something else entirely though, it rammed it's feet into the air so quickly I had to grab onto it's fur for dear life. It felt like being pulled back by a sea tide, then spit onto land when it halted for a few seconds, then drowning under water again. Every second I was so afraid I'd fall off, be left in another corridor I wouldn't know my way out of. In truth I didn't even know if the animal had understood me, he could've just been leading me to it's pack where they'd all rip me to tiny shreds and drink my spilled blood. With it's long arms it shredded through the tunnels, with such speed it became a haze.

We drew nearer to a gap from which a blurred glow shone and halted in a cave-like room. I held my breath as I got off and took in my new surroundings. It was a buttery. A large cellar with barrels stacks reaching the ceilings. Torches attached to the wall provided a little light and I could say with a safe heart, that this hadn't been a trap. He had brought me exactly where I'd needed to be.

"Thank you," I muttered breathlessly and bowing, still not become from the run.

It's ears turned to me, but the creature itself stood in front of the gaping black hole, one paw with those steel nails already in the threshold. If it had started speaking, which almost seemed like that would happen, I think I would've died of a heart attack before guards would've swarmed the cellar to kill me after hearing my screams. But it did no such thing, it only scrunched it's nose a few times like an innocent bunny, and then sprinted off into the darkness.