The Fickle Winds of Autumn
55. Around the Bend

“What was it?” Ellis asked. “Did you manage to see it? Is it still there?”

“No - I think it flew off,” Kira replied.

“It flew?” Ellis whispered.

“We need to keep moving,” Aldwyn urged. “Even I can see the patch of light ahead of us now, so we must be close to some sort of exit. We must press on. What ever it was, obviously has the advantage here in the dark - keep heading towards the light.”

Kira pulled the sleeves of her tunic down to cover her arms; she trudged forward reluctantly, ready to retract her nervous, groping hands at any moment.

But Aldwyn was right - they had to get out.

Her feet crunched and stumbled a clumsy pathway; the mass of bones thickened and made it impossible to move quietly or easily; her alert adrenaline insisted she quicken her pace.

She had to keep moving.

She had to escape.

The rattling, whirring drone grew louder and more agitated; the cloying, repellent smell tried to push her back - but the light - the dim, glowing, powdery patch of semi-gloom - grew brighter and more hopeful with every step.

Her hair twitched and jerked by her ear.

Her jittery goosebumps prickled.

She ducked and swatted - but her flailing hand did not connect with anything.

Perhaps it had just been a draught?

Perhaps it was the fresh breeze of an exit?

But the stale air around her was perfectly still and grew heavier and more rank with the foul stench of decay.

Perhaps her taut, over-anxious nerves had deceived her?

She scoured the darkness; for the first time in days, her straining eyes could vaguely distinguish the faint, shadowy movements of her companions.

She must not give up hope.

She must keep moving - an exit could not be far away now.

“Ow!” Aldwyn exclaimed. “I’ve just been bitten too.”

“Did you see what did it?” Ellis whispered.

“No,” Aldwyn replied, “but I have my suspicions. We must keep moving - quickly now if we can - once we get round this bend in the cave we should be able to see the exit. Keep going!”

Kira shuffled forward.

The rugged cave walls which twisted into a sharp curve were clearly visible now - illuminated from a white fluorescence somewhere beyond them.

Her pulse quickened and hoped; the brave patches of light drew her onward.

Surely they were nearly out?

The exit must be just around this corner.

An expectant optimism pounded in her chest and rippled through her exhausted body.

She scuffled around the bend and blinked into the shallow, dazzling glow of daylight.

She grimaced and narrowed her eyes against the stinging glare.

A vast cavern stretched away before her, arching darkly overhead; its craggy, fractured walls eroded into intricate structures and formations; the bright promise of an exit blazed at the far end.

The droning, restive whirr screeched out in a painful din, then died back to near silence. The foetid, reeking stench choked her throat.

The high, black arch of the cave ceiling writhed and pulsed. A huge dark cloud broke free and swooped down, silhouetted against the far light of the exit. The shrieking clamour erupted again, piercing and urgent.

Kira squinted up at the spectacle; the blotch of dark mist twisted and turned, filtering through the flaring brightness; her struggling eyes distinguished a swarming mass of small, black, scaly creatures - their seething myriad bodies clicked and squealed in unison; the dry rattle of their wings menaced and reverberated across the cavern. The swirling confusion abruptly changed direction and darted back up again, melting into the shadowy depths of the dim rock ceiling.

“Haemagiles!” Aldwyn whispered. “I feared as much. Fierce, flesh-eating nocturnal hunters. They’re just waking up from their roost - but it must still be too light for them to venture outside.”

“What do we do?” Ellis asked. “Should we just move slowly and hope they don’t hear us?”

“No,” Aldwyn replied, “they would detect our body heat before we could get past them and strip the meat from our bones where we stood - our only hope is to rush through to the exit before they wake fully - they won’t follow us if we can get close enough to the light.”

Kira’s skin shuddered; her apprehensive stomach lurched and jabbed. She blinked out towards the beckoning brightness - so warm and welcoming - but still such a daunting distance away.

Perhaps Aldwyn was right - it might just be close enough to sprint to?

She coughed against the heavy, foul miasma.

Her subdued vision adjusted and assessed; the way to the exit was not clear - the floor of the cave was coated in a thick, oozing layer of guano, its piercing, acrid stench attacked her nose and throat; she wiped the tears away as it stung into the back of her eyes. In places, the noxious sludge had piled up into conical mounds and hillocks - some even taller than Kira herself - and formed a rotting maze of stinking, glutinous obstacles, which blocked her hopes of escape.

Her doubtful legs ached and measured the dubious distance - but the light streaming in from the exit would shield and protect them - if they could get close enough to it - they wouldn’t have to get all the way out.

And what choice did she have?

She would have to risk it.

They all would.

She clenched her nervous fists; her stomach trembled in queasy adrenaline spasms. Her weary body did not want to run; her cramped legs were not ready to risk everything.

The restless, fluctuating haemagiles shimmered and clicked.

“Courage!” she willed to her jaded limbs.

“Now!” Aldwyn urged, “Run!”