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Description
Chapter 6

Taking a deep breath he was able to keep himself from stomping as he made his way back to the bed. Anger dripped off his skin like a nasty shower. The boy scanned the room and decided there was nothing in it to use. He squatted on the floor next to me, putting his arm on the bed for extra support.
"Ahem." I coughed pointing to the window.
He half glanced at it. "What good will that do us?"
"Trees, brush, grass, night sky. Yeah, I'd say that's everything that points to outside."
He looked down at me as if it were only half natural that I was speaking, "Not as you think, exactly. Aalexander had his castle specially designed the turn of a few years back. When a door is locked in this castle the windows may either lead to a different part of the castle or become a trap for prisoners. Outside is an illusion." He removed his beanie and tossed it at the window. Partway through, what looked liked electric ropes came from the sides of the windowpane, slinging across the opening like mesh prison bars. Then, more like a bungee net, they threw the hat back at the boy. "It is worse for flesh."
"We should wait." he said.
"We should wait." I agreed.
"I am never going to make a deal with that contemptible man again." He said picking up his ruined hat and sitting on the bed beside me. His weight sunk in the mattress causing me to slip.
"Sure," I agreed again, righting myself. "The next time I trust him is when the underworld freezes over, and my family's life is in danger."
"Adorable, absolutely adorable." he muttered sarcastically. Then he laughed. He had a charming laugh. "I am Garay of Fairen, though it would be best to use a shorted name until after my fight with this Mentren fool."
My mouth opened. "You're Garay? Why didn't you say anything before?"
"Because it was none of their concern. It doesn't matter anyway; he'll be dead on my return. I'll make sure of it. Now let us get out of here." He stood, heading for the door.
"Can't you just kemeander us out?" I asked saying the word lengthily.
"It's kamender. Stay still for a moment. The castle shifts every time a door is locked. We could end up anywhere, which is not a suitable position."
Sure enough, I could hardly feel it but the room was moving. We held still for a while longer and were quiet for a few minutes. When we stopped moving Ray tried the door again. It wouldn't budge, which didn't seem to surprise him.
"Guess, Ray, it won't open." I stated the obvious.
"I assure you, one way or another, it will." Ray started to kick the door with no real effort.
"You know you have to pull to open this door, right?" I asked his almost casual making me feel braver.
"Who said I did not know that?" He paused only for a second. "I want a kiceko to hear and open it for us."
Confusion scrunched up my face. "Kiceko?"
"That is what we are." The young king looked like he couldn't believe someone did not know that. "Our race are called kiceka, human."
"Oh." I felt ignorant and a little hot under the collar that he would call me human to emphasize his point. "Okay, back to the door. Why do you want someone to hear you?"
"Push, pull, we still can't open it from the inside until Aalexander unlocks it."
"So we can't get out at all?" I yawned. The effects of the past several hours had finally caught up. And fainting didn't count as a nap.
"Would you like for me to blow the room up?" He sounded serious.
"Whatever." I said lying down - and hoping that he really didn't do it - closing my eyes. Then decided to correct myself. "Please don't blow us up." What had I gotten myself into?
During the night I had my usual dream about the man at the falls. And I had a new one that night. Though it was nothing I thought of as important, I was crawling on my hands and knees through a tunnel of spiders and webs. In this dark, wet tunnel I heard a voices talking to me. Asking me if I was alright, if I could hear them, and saying that everything would be fine. I couldn't recognize the voice. Then I felt something soft press up against my face. After that I went wet, numb. The last thing I heard was the voice telling me to take a deep breath.

I woke up, whenever that was, wheezing and coughing up enough water to satisfy a small drought. I twisted onto my back then turned back over holding tight to a scream. It looked like a tunnel. The usual dark, damp, scary underground tunnel, stalagmites, stalactites, and pillars everywhere and seemingly the sound of running water somewhere deeper in. Though, none of that is what frightened me. I was lying across Rays' shoulder, who was standing cautiously still. And judging by the strained look on his face he'd been doing so for a long time. There were giant spider webs everywhere – covering the stone like wallpaper and dangling from the ceiling like silk streamers. We were surrounded by these gruesome spider-rat hybrid looking things. They looked something of a mutated cross between the two. Or mating gone horridly wrong. Their long whip thin tails hung like led weights on the ground. A few of them hobbled around the boy while the rest stayed still like they were waiting for him to move first.
"Hu- Mayla." Ray whispered as low as I've ever heard someone his size, his head cocked to the side. "Climb down and slowly walk away. Go to the end of the cave and wait for me."
"No way. I won't leave you. Besides I'm scared."
"Go now and lower your voice. These creatures hate movement and, more so, sound. They'll kill you."
I was about to climb down - less encouraged by the opportunity than I should have been - when I noticed one of those things climbing up Rays' leg. It bit into his pant using its jagged teeth to pull itself up. I glanced at the boy. With every bite and pull he winced. He mouthed "go" but even Ray didn't seem to believe I would actually attempt to bypass the thing - the strange creature was moving fast.
I thought for a second with the only thing coming to mind was what he had said not a good few seconds ago. These things hate movement and sound. I thought about baseball – the only thing to come to mind worth holding on to was sixth grade baseball. Sad, but worth a shot. I took off my belt and threw it, hard. It went about a few yards - making me a little jealous that my old classmate, Tommy, could throw further than me - and out of sight into the dark. Something crashed in the blackness, sounding like rocks rolling down over one another. Every one of the insects, or rodents, or whatever they were, took off after the noise. All but the one that had reached Ray's arm. It ignored the calamity to continue its climbing. The tip of its tail was dark purple and dripped with a puss like substance. It pulled back its head then lashed its tail out at me so quickly my heart didn't have time for a beat. The strike went across my face and left a huge throbbing mark. As well it gave the young giant a nasty welt on his neck.
"Annoying rodent." He pulled a rusty knife from his jacket and thrust the blade into the rodent's head.
Once the shock of the now dead rodent wore off I realized. "Wait, isn't that -"
"Abon's dagger? Yes it is." He pulled a short bladed sword from the front of his shirt. "And this is Rods' sword. He really shouldn't leave it lying so obviously beneath the bed." Expertly twisting his arm he slammed the flat of the sword against his back. Orange liquid dropped from the back of his shirt along with another one of those rodents' bodies. Ray started to walk quickly but as quietly as possible on the gravel covered ground. "Mayla, where did you learn to throw like that?" Despite what he asked, he didn't sound too interested or impressed. More like he was trying to make uncomfortable conversation.
"I learned it at my sixth grade after school baseball program." I said, clinging to the material of his top. "Tommy could do better."
"Baseball?" He paused his pace as he tested the word.
"You don't know what baseball is?"
Ray tilted his head and had an embarrassed look on his face "No."
"It's a type of game. I'll explain it later if you want."
Shrugging his other shoulder rather indifferently he promised to hold me to my words. He walked for what felt like miles - a lot of a few miles to be exact - it felt like years though it couldn't possibly have been that long. Riding his shoulder was much different then being carried by him. The risk of falling was much greater and his footsteps were easier to feel. I examined the webs as we went. There was either an egg sack or a pile of gray slime in a few here or there. Ray told me the slim was an egg turning into a baby rodent. I was about to question him when a hairy leg popped from one of the slims.
Ray quickened his pace.
About an actual mile or two later we saw a clear, web less area and the young male sat down to rest. I shimmied down the faded jacket, plopping down next to him. He pulled his knees to his chest; put his head in his hands with his eyes already firmly shut.
I never liked to think back on past events - especially the daunting ones like this - but I had to make an exception. I thought back: The first thing that popped into my head was the word "Kinto". As I thought about everything I'd heard about Kinto, which wasn't much, an uneasy and sinking feeling began to gnaw at my insides. I wasn't claustrophobic, but I certainly felt trapped. I didn't know why but I could not help shifting from side to side.
It's the cave. I thought. Ray's still sleep but I have to get out of here. There is no reason for him to worry about his bargaining chip; he'll catch up.
I got up to walk past the sleeping giant when a fierce gust of wind stopped me cold.
"Stay where you are human. If you so much as take another step, you will die."
My mom talks in her sleep so that was what I dumbly assumed he was doing. At least until I got another of those bad feeling. Somewhere near the feeling you get when you walk into a bank and it's being held up, you're the only one there and the robber is a take it or leave it kind of guy with the cops. Yes, that bad feeling.
I turned around and saw possibly the scariest thing I'd ever seen in the past few days. The look on the boy's face would have been enough to scare the devil himself if they were unfortunate enough to meet.
"Come here before you get killed." he hissed.
Truthfully, I obeyed, you would've too if you saw his face. As I went to stand next to him he put his hand on me pinning me to the cave wall. The earth started to shake. It felt like a stampede of horses or some other mad heard. Ray pulled himself closer to the wall just when thousands of those giant rodents charged past us, leaving a huge cloud of dust behind them. After a fit of coughing, the giant stood, watching them go. More dust was kicked up as the heard sped away. There was a loud roar behind him, visibly shaking even his frame and making us both freeze.
A huge, disgusting creature burst from the dust cloud slamming Ray in the side with hideous crack. The beast's pink skin was paper thin with streams of veins protruding out everywhere. Large tusks jutted from the sides of its forty foot long trunk. Sagging flesh flopped around its body with every movement. Orange liquid poured from its barricade like teeth. Pounding footfalls left deep impressions in the ground as it turned to face its prey. Where had that thing come from so quickly? No eyes could easily be seen, but it seemed to know where it was going; straight for Ray again. Garay was halfway up when that beast hit him a second time. Both weapons dropped from his hands as his body skidded across the gravel to hit the far wall.
"Ray, get up. Run! It's heading straight for you." I yelled at him. I didn't want to see him die by that thing. Or at all for any reason, but he was knocked out cold.
The beast began to stomp on his chest as if it could drive the body into the ground. It very well could given enough time.
What to do, what to do? I panicked. I could feel my heart thudding as hard as the creature's feet. Ray's body flopped with every blow. Blood streamed from the open cut on his lip. His eyes open and shut with the rhythm of the force. His hands wrapped themselves around the creature's leg at a weak effort to fight. It continued like it couldn't feel his struggles.
There's no time to think, I shook my head, just do something!
Forgetting the weight I grabbed Abon's knife and ran at the beast like the warrior I never wanted to be. I thrust the blade into the creature's hind leg. Drops of warm, rancid smelling blood dripped from the wound. I pushed the weapon in further. The thing roared in pain, kicking up its leg. I went sailing and hit the ground with a loud, painful thump that should have shattered everything in my body. It would have been considered pure luck to be alive if the creature had not turned and charged at me. The sight of death flashed over and over in my mind. A rounded clawed foot rose for a blow, the force pushing air downward knocking the wind out of me.
As my mind counted down the seconds I took a last breath.
It was an enormous surprise that the blow hadn't merged me with the tunnel floor. Soft padding on the beast's sole kept me from becoming a stain. Filling as though every bone in my body had been crushed, a sharp gasp slipped from my mouth. It was hard, but I fought the urge to slip into a silent, painful death. Since that creature hadn't killed me with the first impact the disgusting thing wasn't getting another chance. Unfortunately the pain had slowed my mind and I couldn't move as it wrapped its massive trunk around me. I was lifted above its mouth. That was when I realized I was still gripping desperately onto the weapon. The trunk dropped me. And the throat swallowed.
The passage was more spacious than any normal throat was supposed to be. My body slid too willingly down the dark tube towards whatever waited at the end. My end no doubt. I refused to be digested, to die like that. Feeling forcefully renewed, I slammed my back against one side of its throat passage and my feet against the other. I skidded to a stop just as I felt a wave of acid smelling gas rush upward. With a raw breath I jabbed the knife into the slimy wall. Nauseating as it might be, the creature threw up. A jet stream of chunky mess ejected me from my position. I was projected into the air, landed none too gracefully on Garay's body. Again, luck could be counted for that. The beast roared with pain doing a frustrated spin before running down the dark tunnel.
"So much for Abon's' knife." I groaned at the gunk that caked my mouth as I spoke and rolled over, pulled myself to Ray's neck, then checked his pulse, placing my hands against a vein. He would live. I looked at his open eyes. Willing himself to stand the king slowly got to his feet, carefully closing me in his hand. Taking advantage of the warmth I quickly slipped into the darkness, satisfied and proud of myself for surviving my first ordeal.
It was not long enough later when, curled in his cozy palm, I was woken via an earsplitting: "What around the Saroon are you doing here?"

Description
Chapter 6

Taking a deep breath he was able to keep himself from stomping as he made his way back to the bed. Anger dripped off his skin like a nasty shower. The boy scanned the room and decided there was nothing in it to use. He squatted on the floor next to me, putting his arm on the bed for extra support.
"Ahem." I coughed pointing to the window.
He half glanced at it. "What good will that do us?"
"Trees, brush, grass, night sky. Yeah, I'd say that's everything that points to outside."
He looked down at me as if it were only half natural that I was speaking, "Not as you think, exactly. Aalexander had his castle specially designed the turn of a few years back. When a door is locked in this castle the windows may either lead to a different part of the castle or become a trap for prisoners. Outside is an illusion." He removed his beanie and tossed it at the window. Partway through, what looked liked electric ropes came from the sides of the windowpane, slinging across the opening like mesh prison bars. Then, more like a bungee net, they threw the hat back at the boy. "It is worse for flesh."
"We should wait." he said.
"We should wait." I agreed.
"I am never going to make a deal with that contemptible man again." He said picking up his ruined hat and sitting on the bed beside me. His weight sunk in the mattress causing me to slip.
"Sure," I agreed again, righting myself. "The next time I trust him is when the underworld freezes over, and my family's life is in danger."
"Adorable, absolutely adorable." he muttered sarcastically. Then he laughed. He had a charming laugh. "I am Garay of Fairen, though it would be best to use a shorted name until after my fight with this Mentren fool."
My mouth opened. "You're Garay? Why didn't you say anything before?"
"Because it was none of their concern. It doesn't matter anyway; he'll be dead on my return. I'll make sure of it. Now let us get out of here." He stood, heading for the door.
"Can't you just kemeander us out?" I asked saying the word lengthily.
"It's kamender. Stay still for a moment. The castle shifts every time a door is locked. We could end up anywhere, which is not a suitable position."
Sure enough, I could hardly feel it but the room was moving. We held still for a while longer and were quiet for a few minutes. When we stopped moving Ray tried the door again. It wouldn't budge, which didn't seem to surprise him.
"Guess, Ray, it won't open." I stated the obvious.
"I assure you, one way or another, it will." Ray started to kick the door with no real effort.
"You know you have to pull to open this door, right?" I asked his almost casual making me feel braver.
"Who said I did not know that?" He paused only for a second. "I want a kiceko to hear and open it for us."
Confusion scrunched up my face. "Kiceko?"
"That is what we are." The young king looked like he couldn't believe someone did not know that. "Our race are called kiceka, human."
"Oh." I felt ignorant and a little hot under the collar that he would call me human to emphasize his point. "Okay, back to the door. Why do you want someone to hear you?"
"Push, pull, we still can't open it from the inside until Aalexander unlocks it."
"So we can't get out at all?" I yawned. The effects of the past several hours had finally caught up. And fainting didn't count as a nap.
"Would you like for me to blow the room up?" He sounded serious.
"Whatever." I said lying down - and hoping that he really didn't do it - closing my eyes. Then decided to correct myself. "Please don't blow us up." What had I gotten myself into?
During the night I had my usual dream about the man at the falls. And I had a new one that night. Though it was nothing I thought of as important, I was crawling on my hands and knees through a tunnel of spiders and webs. In this dark, wet tunnel I heard a voices talking to me. Asking me if I was alright, if I could hear them, and saying that everything would be fine. I couldn't recognize the voice. Then I felt something soft press up against my face. After that I went wet, numb. The last thing I heard was the voice telling me to take a deep breath.

I woke up, whenever that was, wheezing and coughing up enough water to satisfy a small drought. I twisted onto my back then turned back over holding tight to a scream. It looked like a tunnel. The usual dark, damp, scary underground tunnel, stalagmites, stalactites, and pillars everywhere and seemingly the sound of running water somewhere deeper in. Though, none of that is what frightened me. I was lying across Rays' shoulder, who was standing cautiously still. And judging by the strained look on his face he'd been doing so for a long time. There were giant spider webs everywhere – covering the stone like wallpaper and dangling from the ceiling like silk streamers. We were surrounded by these gruesome spider-rat hybrid looking things. They looked something of a mutated cross between the two. Or mating gone horridly wrong. Their long whip thin tails hung like led weights on the ground. A few of them hobbled around the boy while the rest stayed still like they were waiting for him to move first.
"Hu- Mayla." Ray whispered as low as I've ever heard someone his size, his head cocked to the side. "Climb down and slowly walk away. Go to the end of the cave and wait for me."
"No way. I won't leave you. Besides I'm scared."
"Go now and lower your voice. These creatures hate movement and, more so, sound. They'll kill you."
I was about to climb down - less encouraged by the opportunity than I should have been - when I noticed one of those things climbing up Rays' leg. It bit into his pant using its jagged teeth to pull itself up. I glanced at the boy. With every bite and pull he winced. He mouthed "go" but even Ray didn't seem to believe I would actually attempt to bypass the thing - the strange creature was moving fast.
I thought for a second with the only thing coming to mind was what he had said not a good few seconds ago. These things hate movement and sound. I thought about baseball – the only thing to come to mind worth holding on to was sixth grade baseball. Sad, but worth a shot. I took off my belt and threw it, hard. It went about a few yards - making me a little jealous that my old classmate, Tommy, could throw further than me - and out of sight into the dark. Something crashed in the blackness, sounding like rocks rolling down over one another. Every one of the insects, or rodents, or whatever they were, took off after the noise. All but the one that had reached Ray's arm. It ignored the calamity to continue its climbing. The tip of its tail was dark purple and dripped with a puss like substance. It pulled back its head then lashed its tail out at me so quickly my heart didn't have time for a beat. The strike went across my face and left a huge throbbing mark. As well it gave the young giant a nasty welt on his neck.
"Annoying rodent." He pulled a rusty knife from his jacket and thrust the blade into the rodent's head.
Once the shock of the now dead rodent wore off I realized. "Wait, isn't that -"
"Abon's dagger? Yes it is." He pulled a short bladed sword from the front of his shirt. "And this is Rods' sword. He really shouldn't leave it lying so obviously beneath the bed." Expertly twisting his arm he slammed the flat of the sword against his back. Orange liquid dropped from the back of his shirt along with another one of those rodents' bodies. Ray started to walk quickly but as quietly as possible on the gravel covered ground. "Mayla, where did you learn to throw like that?" Despite what he asked, he didn't sound too interested or impressed. More like he was trying to make uncomfortable conversation.
"I learned it at my sixth grade after school baseball program." I said, clinging to the material of his top. "Tommy could do better."
"Baseball?" He paused his pace as he tested the word.
"You don't know what baseball is?"
Ray tilted his head and had an embarrassed look on his face "No."
"It's a type of game. I'll explain it later if you want."
Shrugging his other shoulder rather indifferently he promised to hold me to my words. He walked for what felt like miles - a lot of a few miles to be exact - it felt like years though it couldn't possibly have been that long. Riding his shoulder was much different then being carried by him. The risk of falling was much greater and his footsteps were easier to feel. I examined the webs as we went. There was either an egg sack or a pile of gray slime in a few here or there. Ray told me the slim was an egg turning into a baby rodent. I was about to question him when a hairy leg popped from one of the slims.
Ray quickened his pace.
About an actual mile or two later we saw a clear, web less area and the young male sat down to rest. I shimmied down the faded jacket, plopping down next to him. He pulled his knees to his chest; put his head in his hands with his eyes already firmly shut.
I never liked to think back on past events - especially the daunting ones like this - but I had to make an exception. I thought back: The first thing that popped into my head was the word "Kinto". As I thought about everything I'd heard about Kinto, which wasn't much, an uneasy and sinking feeling began to gnaw at my insides. I wasn't claustrophobic, but I certainly felt trapped. I didn't know why but I could not help shifting from side to side.
It's the cave. I thought. Ray's still sleep but I have to get out of here. There is no reason for him to worry about his bargaining chip; he'll catch up.
I got up to walk past the sleeping giant when a fierce gust of wind stopped me cold.
"Stay where you are human. If you so much as take another step, you will die."
My mom talks in her sleep so that was what I dumbly assumed he was doing. At least until I got another of those bad feeling. Somewhere near the feeling you get when you walk into a bank and it's being held up, you're the only one there and the robber is a take it or leave it kind of guy with the cops. Yes, that bad feeling.
I turned around and saw possibly the scariest thing I'd ever seen in the past few days. The look on the boy's face would have been enough to scare the devil himself if they were unfortunate enough to meet.
"Come here before you get killed." he hissed.
Truthfully, I obeyed, you would've too if you saw his face. As I went to stand next to him he put his hand on me pinning me to the cave wall. The earth started to shake. It felt like a stampede of horses or some other mad heard. Ray pulled himself closer to the wall just when thousands of those giant rodents charged past us, leaving a huge cloud of dust behind them. After a fit of coughing, the giant stood, watching them go. More dust was kicked up as the heard sped away. There was a loud roar behind him, visibly shaking even his frame and making us both freeze.
A huge, disgusting creature burst from the dust cloud slamming Ray in the side with hideous crack. The beast's pink skin was paper thin with streams of veins protruding out everywhere. Large tusks jutted from the sides of its forty foot long trunk. Sagging flesh flopped around its body with every movement. Orange liquid poured from its barricade like teeth. Pounding footfalls left deep impressions in the ground as it turned to face its prey. Where had that thing come from so quickly? No eyes could easily be seen, but it seemed to know where it was going; straight for Ray again. Garay was halfway up when that beast hit him a second time. Both weapons dropped from his hands as his body skidded across the gravel to hit the far wall.
"Ray, get up. Run! It's heading straight for you." I yelled at him. I didn't want to see him die by that thing. Or at all for any reason, but he was knocked out cold.
The beast began to stomp on his chest as if it could drive the body into the ground. It very well could given enough time.
What to do, what to do? I panicked. I could feel my heart thudding as hard as the creature's feet. Ray's body flopped with every blow. Blood streamed from the open cut on his lip. His eyes open and shut with the rhythm of the force. His hands wrapped themselves around the creature's leg at a weak effort to fight. It continued like it couldn't feel his struggles.
There's no time to think, I shook my head, just do something!
Forgetting the weight I grabbed Abon's knife and ran at the beast like the warrior I never wanted to be. I thrust the blade into the creature's hind leg. Drops of warm, rancid smelling blood dripped from the wound. I pushed the weapon in further. The thing roared in pain, kicking up its leg. I went sailing and hit the ground with a loud, painful thump that should have shattered everything in my body. It would have been considered pure luck to be alive if the creature had not turned and charged at me. The sight of death flashed over and over in my mind. A rounded clawed foot rose for a blow, the force pushing air downward knocking the wind out of me.
As my mind counted down the seconds I took a last breath.
It was an enormous surprise that the blow hadn't merged me with the tunnel floor. Soft padding on the beast's sole kept me from becoming a stain. Filling as though every bone in my body had been crushed, a sharp gasp slipped from my mouth. It was hard, but I fought the urge to slip into a silent, painful death. Since that creature hadn't killed me with the first impact the disgusting thing wasn't getting another chance. Unfortunately the pain had slowed my mind and I couldn't move as it wrapped its massive trunk around me. I was lifted above its mouth. That was when I realized I was still gripping desperately onto the weapon. The trunk dropped me. And the throat swallowed.
The passage was more spacious than any normal throat was supposed to be. My body slid too willingly down the dark tube towards whatever waited at the end. My end no doubt. I refused to be digested, to die like that. Feeling forcefully renewed, I slammed my back against one side of its throat passage and my feet against the other. I skidded to a stop just as I felt a wave of acid smelling gas rush upward. With a raw breath I jabbed the knife into the slimy wall. Nauseating as it might be, the creature threw up. A jet stream of chunky mess ejected me from my position. I was projected into the air, landed none too gracefully on Garay's body. Again, luck could be counted for that. The beast roared with pain doing a frustrated spin before running down the dark tunnel.
"So much for Abon's' knife." I groaned at the gunk that caked my mouth as I spoke and rolled over, pulled myself to Ray's neck, then checked his pulse, placing my hands against a vein. He would live. I looked at his open eyes. Willing himself to stand the king slowly got to his feet, carefully closing me in his hand. Taking advantage of the warmth I quickly slipped into the darkness, satisfied and proud of myself for surviving my first ordeal.
It was not long enough later when, curled in his cozy palm, I was woken via an earsplitting: "What around the Saroon are you doing here?"