10-05-2017, 09:45 PM
The points and jagged edges of rock scratched at her skin through her clothes. Even turned sideways and feeling forward by the touch of her palms ahead, she squeezed through the crevice. The passageway became tighter and tighter like a rope tightening around her neck, until she wondered if they would ever make it back out. Behind her, Illarion grunted and eventually left his burden at his feet to carry on without the extra weight. Valeriya hated to leave it behind, but nobody would be foolish enough to go willingly into the Pits. It would be safe until they returned. If they returned.
The journey wasn't far, but her legs were wobbly by the time the passageway opened. Heat rose up to meet her, but so also did the smell of rot so familiar to what wafted into the Khylsty. Illarion popped out of the crevice behind her and shook out his limbs in the sudden freedom. Valeriya felt the same, but she kept her composure. Other than feeling a little light of head, the scent seemed to have lessened somewhat. Or maybe she was growing used to the smell.
The majority of her things were left behind in the crevice, but those were for Above. What she needed now she pulled from a fold in her belt. It was a small copper tube stoppered with a copper cap. She remembered her mother telling her what it was. It was the key to controlling the Pits, she said. The Khylsty know little of true fear, but only one thing will chill all their blood, to be chosen to go to the Pits. Its a sentence of early death, as life in the pits is intolerable, those that go there suffer immensely before they finally die. Therefore, those people must be controlled or they would rise up against the Khylsty. This copper tube was their leverage. When Valeriya asked what was inside, her mother pressed her lips together and shook her head so hard all the little bones in her whacked together. All she had to do was open it up, drop it down a shaft, and seal up the crevice and the Khylsty would be safe from the monstrous members of the Pits. But be careful to seal them inside with it, otherwise they might all die.
Valeriya always wondered what was inside the little copper tube. Now, she was about to find out.
She wrapped the rags tighter around her face as Illarion did the same. The small torch in his hand wafted a little tendril of smoke as they walked together. He stayed half a step behind her, yet kept a hand forward like he was going to protect her. He knew almost as much as she did about what was down here. They would both rather face the monsters above than the wretches below.
The smell wrapped itself around her eyes until they glistened with tears. The heat grew and she was slicked with sweat beneath her clothes. They were getting close. If dropping this vial down here was enough to kill everyone in the Pits, throwing it into the vast cauldrons of fumes could kill the entire Khylsty. Unless they ran for their lives - and that was exactly what she intended they do.
"Get ready," she whispered, clutching the vial.
They turned a corner and she beheld the cavern of actual pits for the first time in her life. She'd always wondered what they truly looked like, but no Khylsty hoped to actually behold them.
They oozed, like a thick and heavy fluid. Or like the inside of a beast cut open and she watched its heart beat from the inside. The fluid was alive. It lifted like it was taking a breath, only to smack apart with a pop and splatter onto the surrounding rock with a hiss and swirl of smoke. The thought of it splattering onto her skin made her cringe.
Illarion grabbed her arm, squeezing it tight, tugging. She started to wrench herself free of his grasp when she realized the reason for his haste. Two shapes were moving around the periphery of the pits. Splatters caught the bottoms of their legs, flaring the frayed edges of their pants a small flame before it extinguished itself. Their bare feet were silent as they padded quickly closer. Quicker and quicker, bare feet twisted, blackened and burnt, they hobbled as though in pain. She was too transfixed to move, though. The burns around their ankles were to be expected if the pits could singe stone. It was their faces, shadowed in the flickering light, that horrified her. The hair had fallen from their heads. Their eyes were sunken into skeletal sockets. Their cheeks had open holes through which she could glimpse teeth. Their skin wept with fluid thicker than sweat. She began to vomit, but Illarion's grip dug into her arm and literally yanked her from the stupor.
She remembered the copper tube. A flick of the finger popped the cap and she briefly looked at the contents before chucking it as hard as she could into the center of the closest pit. She spun on her heel, Illarion still hanging on, and ran back toward the crevice. Just before they turned the corner, she looked to see what happened. The tube landed on the top of the fluid in the Pit, sat there a moment and slowly sank inside. She wondered if nothing would come of this. Had her mother lied? Been wrong?
Then the fluid exploded. A stream spit upward in a flash of light. The very air lit on fire and the two shapes caught on the edge spontaneously combust from within. She couldn't tell whose screaming was her own. They moved so fast back up the crevice, she was only barely aware of the scratches bleeding from her face, arms, legs and stomach. The care she'd taken on the descent was gone. Yet the smell chased them. Her eyes burned so hot she wondered if she was about to combust as they had.
They fell out of the crevice at the top of the climb, choking. Her lungs burned hot, but little relief was to be found. Her heart was racing. She'd done it. She'd done it. They would go Above. To save their lives, the Khylsty had to leave. If she survived long enough to get there... With what strength she had left, she dropped the rags from her face and ran as hard as she could, not even checking to see if Illarion followed.
The tunnels were empty. Regus must have recognized the air was filling with poison and forced them out. Illarion caught up with her, finally, the burden of a bag dangling from his back. So he'd made it out of the crevice... with her things in fact. She nodded in approval, but thrust out her hand to stop him before he took another step.
"A shaft to the Pits is down that way. We must go another way." Her throat was sore, her voice cracked. His pale blue eyes nodded, but he did not speak. His throat was burnt too. An eerie silence followed them. She'd never known the tunnels to be so quiet, but for the sound of their footsteps.
They climbed out by longer paths, but eventually found the remnants of the Khylsty at the edge of their home. The smells were left behind by then, and the burning in her eyes and nose decreased. She was dying for water.
The group was smaller than she'd hoped it would be. Had that many really perished? Had they caught on fire as had the two wretches in the Pits? She shivered at the thought.
The Khylsty made way for her passage, Illarion right behind her as usual. The burning eyes of Matvei were the only ones that met her own, but she ignored the Hand and went straight to Regus, positioning herself before their savior. "Our home is poisoned. As has been foreseen, you returned just in time. You'll take us Above?"
The journey wasn't far, but her legs were wobbly by the time the passageway opened. Heat rose up to meet her, but so also did the smell of rot so familiar to what wafted into the Khylsty. Illarion popped out of the crevice behind her and shook out his limbs in the sudden freedom. Valeriya felt the same, but she kept her composure. Other than feeling a little light of head, the scent seemed to have lessened somewhat. Or maybe she was growing used to the smell.
The majority of her things were left behind in the crevice, but those were for Above. What she needed now she pulled from a fold in her belt. It was a small copper tube stoppered with a copper cap. She remembered her mother telling her what it was. It was the key to controlling the Pits, she said. The Khylsty know little of true fear, but only one thing will chill all their blood, to be chosen to go to the Pits. Its a sentence of early death, as life in the pits is intolerable, those that go there suffer immensely before they finally die. Therefore, those people must be controlled or they would rise up against the Khylsty. This copper tube was their leverage. When Valeriya asked what was inside, her mother pressed her lips together and shook her head so hard all the little bones in her whacked together. All she had to do was open it up, drop it down a shaft, and seal up the crevice and the Khylsty would be safe from the monstrous members of the Pits. But be careful to seal them inside with it, otherwise they might all die.
Valeriya always wondered what was inside the little copper tube. Now, she was about to find out.
She wrapped the rags tighter around her face as Illarion did the same. The small torch in his hand wafted a little tendril of smoke as they walked together. He stayed half a step behind her, yet kept a hand forward like he was going to protect her. He knew almost as much as she did about what was down here. They would both rather face the monsters above than the wretches below.
The smell wrapped itself around her eyes until they glistened with tears. The heat grew and she was slicked with sweat beneath her clothes. They were getting close. If dropping this vial down here was enough to kill everyone in the Pits, throwing it into the vast cauldrons of fumes could kill the entire Khylsty. Unless they ran for their lives - and that was exactly what she intended they do.
"Get ready," she whispered, clutching the vial.
They turned a corner and she beheld the cavern of actual pits for the first time in her life. She'd always wondered what they truly looked like, but no Khylsty hoped to actually behold them.
They oozed, like a thick and heavy fluid. Or like the inside of a beast cut open and she watched its heart beat from the inside. The fluid was alive. It lifted like it was taking a breath, only to smack apart with a pop and splatter onto the surrounding rock with a hiss and swirl of smoke. The thought of it splattering onto her skin made her cringe.
Illarion grabbed her arm, squeezing it tight, tugging. She started to wrench herself free of his grasp when she realized the reason for his haste. Two shapes were moving around the periphery of the pits. Splatters caught the bottoms of their legs, flaring the frayed edges of their pants a small flame before it extinguished itself. Their bare feet were silent as they padded quickly closer. Quicker and quicker, bare feet twisted, blackened and burnt, they hobbled as though in pain. She was too transfixed to move, though. The burns around their ankles were to be expected if the pits could singe stone. It was their faces, shadowed in the flickering light, that horrified her. The hair had fallen from their heads. Their eyes were sunken into skeletal sockets. Their cheeks had open holes through which she could glimpse teeth. Their skin wept with fluid thicker than sweat. She began to vomit, but Illarion's grip dug into her arm and literally yanked her from the stupor.
She remembered the copper tube. A flick of the finger popped the cap and she briefly looked at the contents before chucking it as hard as she could into the center of the closest pit. She spun on her heel, Illarion still hanging on, and ran back toward the crevice. Just before they turned the corner, she looked to see what happened. The tube landed on the top of the fluid in the Pit, sat there a moment and slowly sank inside. She wondered if nothing would come of this. Had her mother lied? Been wrong?
Then the fluid exploded. A stream spit upward in a flash of light. The very air lit on fire and the two shapes caught on the edge spontaneously combust from within. She couldn't tell whose screaming was her own. They moved so fast back up the crevice, she was only barely aware of the scratches bleeding from her face, arms, legs and stomach. The care she'd taken on the descent was gone. Yet the smell chased them. Her eyes burned so hot she wondered if she was about to combust as they had.
They fell out of the crevice at the top of the climb, choking. Her lungs burned hot, but little relief was to be found. Her heart was racing. She'd done it. She'd done it. They would go Above. To save their lives, the Khylsty had to leave. If she survived long enough to get there... With what strength she had left, she dropped the rags from her face and ran as hard as she could, not even checking to see if Illarion followed.
The tunnels were empty. Regus must have recognized the air was filling with poison and forced them out. Illarion caught up with her, finally, the burden of a bag dangling from his back. So he'd made it out of the crevice... with her things in fact. She nodded in approval, but thrust out her hand to stop him before he took another step.
"A shaft to the Pits is down that way. We must go another way." Her throat was sore, her voice cracked. His pale blue eyes nodded, but he did not speak. His throat was burnt too. An eerie silence followed them. She'd never known the tunnels to be so quiet, but for the sound of their footsteps.
They climbed out by longer paths, but eventually found the remnants of the Khylsty at the edge of their home. The smells were left behind by then, and the burning in her eyes and nose decreased. She was dying for water.
The group was smaller than she'd hoped it would be. Had that many really perished? Had they caught on fire as had the two wretches in the Pits? She shivered at the thought.
The Khylsty made way for her passage, Illarion right behind her as usual. The burning eyes of Matvei were the only ones that met her own, but she ignored the Hand and went straight to Regus, positioning herself before their savior. "Our home is poisoned. As has been foreseen, you returned just in time. You'll take us Above?"
The Eye of the Khylsty