XVII
1409 Words
XVII
Lucan opened the door and jumped out of the car as soon as Earl skidded to a stop on the bog road.
A group of bulldozers and backhoes were parked in the dirt. Lucan had seen their bright work lights from two miles away and was glad they weren’t too late.
A rugged man in a denim shirt and jeans climbed down from one of the bulldozers.
“Sure took you long enough,” the man said. “We damned near had to plow our way through these Magic Eaters to get here.”
“Thanks for coming, Penrose,” Lucan said. He pointed to the forest. “That way, about a mile into the forest you’ll see it.”
Penrose studied the trees. “Gonna have to tear down some trees to get there.”
“Whatever you have to do,” Lucan said. “Just get your machines in there.”
“Got it, boss.”
Lucan dashed into the forest and motioned Miri and Earl to follow. He pushed through the thicket, ignoring the stinging branches against his face. He ran around Magic Eaters, jumped over them.
“Keep up!” he said.
He heard frenzied footsteps following him. Miri and Earl weren’t far behind.
They broke through to the water’s edge and slid across the mud.
There was slime everywhere. A great slurping, burping, and popping sound combined with a smell like a mixture of rotten fish, spoiled eggs and oranges made him sick to his stomach. The Magic Eaters were still feeding on the magic wall and exploding.
“Celesse!” he cried, looking around.
“We’re here.” She and Tony climbed down a tree.
“We’re okay,” Celesse said quickly, approaching him.
“Good, babe. I—”
SLAP!
Celesse’s hand felt hot on his face and his cheek stung.
“Ow!”
Celesse slapped him again.
He nursed his cheek. “I guess I deserved that.”
“Don’t you ever leave me alone again,” she said. “You could have just as easily found me dead.”
“I had no idea this would happen, okay?” Lucan said.
Celesse noticed Miri. The professor was watching the whole exchange, at a loss for words. And Celesse was watching Miri.
Uh oh. Not good.
The women exchanged glances, sizing each other up.
“We’ll talk later, Lucan,” Celesse said.
Miri extended her hand and introduced herself, but Celesse pointed at the wall.
“They’ve been at it for a while,” Celesse said, ignoring her. “The wall’s weakening.”
“It’s a curse,” Miri said, rubbing the back of her head.
“What?” Celesse asked. “I can’t hear you over the slurping.”
Miri widened her eyes for a moment and turned away from Celesse, clearly appalled by the first impression.
“The tomb is protected with a curse,” Miri said louder. “If the Magic Eaters break through the wall, they’ll break the curse.”
“That’ll save us some effort,” Lucan said. “And here I was trying to figure out how the hell we were going to get in.”
Miri walked to the water’s edge and studied the tomb, her mouth agape.
“So, what do you think, Miri?” Lucan asked.
“I’m speechless,” Miri said.
“As in?” Lucan asked.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Miri said. “It very well could be ... authentic.”
They watched as the monsters sucked at the wall.
A new wave of Magic Eaters approached.
The ground shook.
The trees rustled.
And with a great flash, the magical wall crumbled, spilling pink liquid across the water. The light faded, and they watched in awe as the tomb lay before them, ready to be explored.
“The curse is broken,” Miri said.
Lucan was the first into the water. He didn’t care about the dirty water or what could be lurking under the surface. He pushed one arm in front of the other, stroking as fast as he could.
“Lucan, wait!” Miri cried. “There could be another curse.”
But he ignored her. He wasn’t going to waste any more time.
He made it to the island with the claw. Miri and Celesse were swimming after him. He waited for them, panting.
Tony started to jump into the water as well, but Lucan told him to stop.
“You can’t come in, kid,” Lucan shouted. “Too dangerous.”
Tony frowned and cursed at him.
The Magic Eaters had forgotten about them. They fought over the remnants of the pink magic, which curdled on the surface of the water.
Lucan shook his head and wondered how genetics let these monsters survive.
They approached the white claw. Its marbled texture glistened like bone, and it was taller and wider than it appeared from the shore.
Miri stopped at the bronze emblem in the shape of a coin on the wall. The dragon head on it was baring its teeth. Under a dark patina, an inscription read:
HERE LIES THE ROYAL FAMILY OF DARK
“Don’t have any doubts, do you, Professor?” Lucan asked, running his hand over the bronze.
“None, Mr. Grimoire,” Miri said.
Lucan stood in front of two giant wooden doors sealed with chains. The doors dwarfed them, clearly designed for something much, much bigger.
Across the water, the ground rumbled as the bulldozers tore down the trees and arrived at the water’s edge.
Lucan put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. “Penrose! Throw me a bolt cutter!”
Penrose reached into a toolbox on the seat of his bulldozer and tossed a bolt cutter. It narrowly missed Miri and landed in the dirt.
Lucan cut the rusty chains and they clanged to the ground. He pushed the doors, throwing all his weight into them, and they creaked open.
“Wow,” Miri said. “This is really happening.”
“We’re grave robbers now,” Celesse said with a smirk.
“You ladies aren’t used to breaking the law, are you? Stick around me and you’ll forget what it’s like to be an upstanding citizen.”
“Says the man who’s running for governor,” Celesse said.
Lucan laughed devilishly and slid a flashlight out of his pocket. He entered, and Miri and Celesse followed.
The inside of the mausoleum was stale and hot. Cobwebs lined the walls, and fat spiders crawled into the shadows as they passed. The walls were black and it was hard to see clearly, even with the flashlight.
Lucan intuited his way around. He shone the light down a long, dark hallway. Then he shone the light on the floor.
No spikes or holes that he could see.
He started forward, and Miri and Celesse followed, so close to him that he could feel their breath. Someone held onto his jacket coattail, but he couldn’t tell who.
Their steps echoed down the hallway.
The air changed, and he sensed an opening.
They came to some large stone steps, nearly twenty feet wide and five feet deep. Runes were engraved on them.
“You could break an ankle on these steps,” Celesse said as they climbed down.
“They’re dragon-sized,” Miri said.
They descended into a catacomb with a vaulted ceiling. The room stretched for a quarter of a mile, with another double door at the end.
Burlap sacks lay scattered around them.
“What’s with all the sacks?” Lucan asked.
Miri picked one up and ran her hand through it. She emptied it and turned it inside out. Her hand was rimmed with golden dust.
“These were full at some point. With gold.”
Lucan’s eyes widened. “Then why is it gone?”
Miri shook her head. “Someone’s been here.”
Lucan cursed. “You said this place was authentic!”
“It’s exactly as the history books described,” Miri said. “But it’s always possible it was robbed.”
“I don’t understand,” Celesse said. “If the Magic Eaters just broke the curse, how could someone have gotten in before?”
“The curse could have been broken before, and re-cast.”
“Great,” Lucan said.
“The actual tomb is ahead. The hallowed chamber fit for eternal rest,” Miri said.
Lucan ignored her and pushed forward. He wanted bodies. Bones. He didn’t care about money or history.
They reached the double door and he pushed it open. A golden glow washed over them.
The room was a rotunda made of gold; the walls and the floor glistened.
On the wall was a mural of five black dragons. Their wings were outstretched, their postures regal. Under them, their names shone in chiseled gold:
GREGARIUS
SMIRNATESSA
ALSATIUS I
SMIRNAGOND
ALSATIUS II
On the walls were large crypt slots, twenty feet long and wide. The names were also printed on the slots.
As they reached the center of the room, Lucan’s eyes widened.
In the middle of the stone floor were two skeletons. One had a bulky frame like a very large Keeper. Another was smaller, and it was wrapped around the first. Their skulls had an expression that looked to Lucan like screaming.
But Lucan only noticed the skulls for a moment. A pink flash made him jump back.
On the other side of the magical wall, a black, scaly mass lay curled in a ball.
“Is this—” Celesse asked.
Lucan dropped his flashlight. “Holy—”
Black scales like night.
Long, regal neck. Yellow claws. A presence that made him feel small.
Spine rising up and down. Great wind blowing through the chamber in measured rhythm. Eyelids closed, but fluttering.
It was Old Dark.
And he was alive.
- Writer
