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Chapter 24: Surviving Holy Birds

“We have taken their forests, their lakes, their mountains. We have raided their homes, their lands and their haunts. Is it really a wonder if the nightmares come looking for us, when we, ourselves have disturbed their domains? Alas, my wise King, the beasts have awoken, and there is no stopping them”

-Moureth Boneshredder, Wazir to King Growveth Urk Ironthorn, Last of the Gewath Lineage of Ironthorn Kings, rulers of the free city of Parvein, 7886 A.C.

Bones and ribcages littered the small outgrown ledge. Flashes of white gleamed through dark green grass, a testament to the last remains of creatures, weather-worn and polished by the elements. Maggots crawled on bones that the weather hadn’t yet had the chance to divest of the last vestiges of life. Flies and gnats buzzed around stringy ligaments still attached to more recent kills.

Yes. Kills.

Creatures of different shapes and sizes had their lives stolen from them here. Bent and tortured ribcages jutted out from the reddish soil, their ends splintered and chewed off- a shiver ran down my spine as I thought of the teeth that had performed the carnage.

Needless to say, I wanted to do nothing with creatures that could snap in half a spine thicker than my arm. But here we are, having a staring contest with the darkness inside the cave of terrors. If the smell emanating out of the cave was any indication, the inside promised to be just as gruesome.

“At least it’s not false advertising”, I muttered to no one in particular.

“Ssssh”, Faeve hissed while she crouched low, her eyes intent on what lay beyond the small cavern before us. Her motionless form didn’t make the faintest of noises, her eyes settled into the unnerving patience of an assassin.

I grit my teeth as I stared daggers at the elf. I didn’t appreciate not knowing what awaited us, particularly when that could mean our bones whitening in the sun. Like any sane person, I prefer my bones inside my body, you see.

Faeve dropped flat on the ground in a flash. Wait, what just... I decided to take no chances and followed suit. The only difference? I made a lot of noise doing it. Like a garage metal band practising off-key noise. Faeve swivelled her head to stare at me like I had desecrated her grandmother’s gravestone.

I didn’t care. I was way too pissed off not knowing what was going on. You are in my fucking head every waking hour, But I don’t know jack-shit that goes on in yours.

Her eyes hardened as the thought crossed my mind. I could practically see the anger clouding behind her green eyes, threatening to break loose. I don’t care, I told her as much as I told myself. None of us chose this.

Faeve sighed and broke off the eye contact. She leaned her ear flat on the ground listening for something.

Meanwhile I tightened the clasps on my armour to tighten the weapons hanging by my side. No matter how much we disagreed, she was the assassin and if she was being cautions, there was a very good reason for it. The leather clasps refused to tighten properly so I gave it a savage yank, Come on, you piece of shit.

My fingers brushed against something hard by my side. A heap of bones collapsed with a muffled clack. Small spines went skittering away from the ledge as a cloud of flies and dust erupted from the mass. The sickly sweet stench like mouldy bread and rotten meat threatened to make me gag; I had to clap my hands over my mouth not to retch.

And with it, came the memories. The bonestrewn ground, the bloody entrails, the smell, all of it reminded me of the room I had created in Salrest, a room where I had left people to die. Innocent was hardly a word that could be applied to Talaviel’s minions but nonetheless...No! I can’t think like that!

I clutched the Kivala necklace on my neck. They. They were the ones who killed my Arin. The practised anger rose in me like a torrent drowning my discomfort and guilt. Tortured, burned, and maimed her. They couldn’t live, not their god, neither they. My hands dug the reddish dust unconsciously, I will—

“Rigel”, Faeve called out sharply. “Not the time”.

Right. I forced myself to dispel the images in head. They wouldn’t go away; after all, they had been seared into my mind over the course of the last year. Every waking hour, every dream was of Arin and what they did to her. Not the right time, I told myself over and over, Not now. Deep breaths only brought the stench of rotting meat even deeper inside me, but this time, it served to shock my mind out of the self-induced haze of wrath.

I crawled with my body flat to the ground. Ribs, spines, chitin, I counted off the various skeletal remains around us as I made my way towards Faeve.

“Where. Are. We”, I spat out in a low snarl.

Faeve put a finger on her lips.

I stared at the humongous femur that lay behind her. The thing was wider and bigger than most two-handed swords I had seen in Salrest. Believe me, some of the blades wielded by dragonkin were even bigger than me.

“Answers, now”. I ain’t going anywhere without answers.

Faeve sighed as she slapped the ground softly. “Fine”, she whispered as she stood up. Red sand grit cascaded down her body as she pointed at the cave. “Follow me”.

Surprisingly, the cave was much smaller on the inside. The wide mouth just twisted in a shallow corner to end in a small, dusty hovel barely big enough for five decent sized dinner tables.

Something cackled and chirped as we entered. A thick smell of rotting meat and vomit assaulted us as we came upon what lay in the chamber.

The dim light given off my glowing moss encrusting the cave’s walls illuminated four skinned chickens scampering about. Red, beady eyes swivelled to face us as the clacking died down.

What the fuck?

One of those things gave a hoarse shriek as it tumbled towards us on its fat little legs. Now, I said ‘chicken’ but those were the size of your average pig.

“Sylphex chicks”, Faeve said while she sheathed her daggers.

“And?” I asked while I followed the furless little turkey-pig bump its head on the wall. It fell down with a soft thud but got up immediately while it shook its wrinkly little neck.

“I thought we could ride those down the cliff”.

“These fat little things?” I pointed at the bird staring stupid at the glowing moss. It tried to wrench some of the glowing blue moss by its beak. “These things can hardly even walk their own lair”.

“Oh Sun-Elves do it all the time”, Faeve said as she kicked a human-sized femur into the gaggle of chicks. It bonked one of them in the head making it bounce off the floor. The other two birds skittered away to far corners of the cave flapping their skinless appendages. “I did not realise they were this juvenile”.

The one hit on the head made an ungodly shriek as it stared at the bone from a distance. It gathered its courage as it came close and pecked the bone savagely. The peck made the bone swivel and hit the chick from its other end. The chick ran away in fright making noises like someone gutted a pig.

“Now what?” I said with a wince as all of the three chicks started screaming and shrieking while running around the room like headless chickens. “We can’t wait till they grow up”.

Faeve chewed her lips as she crossed her hands over her chest. “We have to climb back up and look for another way down”.

Again? “You know, we have to move quick”, I grumbled as I watched the three chicks try to peck the femur to death. “Wait, what did you mean Elves ride them all the time?”

Faeve took out her dagger to slice off a piece of the glowing blue moss from the cave wall. She tossed it in her mouth and chewed slowly. “Our armies tame Sylphax birds to ride them and attack from the skies”. She spat out the remnants of the moss, now divested of its light. She wiped the dribbling goop from her mouth with her sleeves as her face wrenched in a disgusted expression. “Probably gonna have a sick stomach from this”.

Of course, you will. Who the fuck eats glowing shit off cave walls?

“Vulp-head moss is pretty good for nutrition”, She splayed her hands, “we will need lots of it if we are to cross this accursed canyon”. Faeve cut off another piece and offered it to me, “here. Breakfast”.

“No thanks”. I retorted, “It looks even worse than vegemite”.

Faeve arched her eyebrows while she popped the piece into her mouth. Her face twisted into another grimace.

Why do you even eat it if you hate it so much?

I decided it would be very beneficial for me to look at the birds instead when her face shifted to an expression that looked like she wanted to snap some baby-spines and rip off their heads.

The first chick was still tugging at the clump of moss on the cave wall with all the might it could muster. It tumbled backwards on its ass as its little beak couldn’t hold on, as its chubby little body bounced off the floor.

“Say, Faeve”, I muttered.

“Hmm?” She whispered back. Her lithe body was bent over the floor looking at the thick white-grayish substance that covered it.

“How do they taste?”

Faeve froze in the middle off picking off the white substance with her daggers. Her eyebrows scrunched up as she stared at the chunk of white in her hands. “Why would you want to eat Sylphax shit?”

“No not that”, I retorted while I watched the little bird sidled up to me. It apparently found the shoelaces very intriguing as it started pecking them. I kicked the chick, it went squawking away bouncing off the floor covered in their own droppings. “I mean these birds; we would need food to cross the canyon”.

“Sylphax are holy birds. We can’t eat them”, Faeve said while she reversed the grip on her dagger and hammered the pommel on the thick layers of guano encrusting the cave floor.

“But you bonked one ‘holy bird’ on the head”

“Aye”, Faeve nodded with a straight face.

Seriously, I don’t get her logic. I sighed as I watched Faeve repeatedly hammer the guano till the soft squishy layer gave away to the hardened under-layers. With each hit, a mouldy, gut-wrenching smell spread through the cave.

“What”, I sputtered as I struggled not to throw up, “what are you doing?” It was a fair question. You don’t see a pretty girl shove pieces of bird shit into her bag like it was on sale. To be fair, I have seen women buy really weird things if they were on sale, but still never this.

“I don’t mean to be insensitive, but”, I backed away from Faeve to the far corner of the cave. “Do you really need to pick up shit for worship or something?”

“Worship? As if”. Faeve snorted. “Sylphax shit is good for making fires. Something we would need to survive the cold nights down in the canyon”.

Well, that...that makes sense. Back in Salrest I had heard of people using dried animal shit as fuel but had never had the unfortunate opportunity to try myself.

The holy birds started squawking in protest as Faeve stole more and more of the guano. Back on earth, Yuki kept some birds. Well, mostly mum ended up taking care of them since we were too little. The birds would shit inside the little clay pots we hung up and lay eggs over them. It was meant to be a squelchy cushion for the tender newborn chicks to remain protected in.

My train of thought was broken by a rattling at one corner of the cave. A vermin jumped out from a pile of unidentified bones and went scuttling away into the depths of the dimly lit cave. The whole cave was littered with bones of various shapes and sizes eerily lit by the effervescent blue glow of moss. Like the ones outside, these too were gnawed and mangled at the ends.

A horrible realisation hit me as I stared at the skeletons with stringy meat still attached to it. If there were chicks...

“Faeve!” I bellowed. “Where are its parents?”

Her hands stopped gathering the guano for a moment. “Sylphax mothers don’t return to the nest till sundown. As for the father—”, her voice grated, “they fly away right after mating”.

I sighed in relief. Meeting the monsters that could reduce such humongous bones to kindling wasn’t an encouraging prospect by any means.

“But Faeve—”

A strange noise stopped me midsentence. All the chicks had stood up in attention with their red eyes glowing. The sparse feather that dotted their naked crown had risen up while their wrinkly throats vibrated with a low, guttural cry.

The cave resonated with the growl to the point that the ground itself vibrated. I grasped the hilt of my sword in alarm. “Faeve, I don’t like the sound of this. Let’s get ou—”

My voice died down as I saw Faeve’s mouth hung open. Her face had gone even paler with terror as he stared at the birds with a horrified expression on her.

Oh fuck.

The chicks stopped their growl as abruptly as they had begun. An eerie silence enveloped the cave only to be overwhelmed by the groaning wind as it rushed to fill the cavern. A cold sense of foreboding settled in the pits of my stomach. The hairs on the back of my neck rose in dreaded anticipation.

Faeve gulped, the sound oddly loud in spite of the savage gust.

A high-pitched throaty growl ripped through the cliff. I clapped my hands over my ears as the sound continued to shake the cave. The palpable murderous rage in the voice made the blood curdle in my stomach.

Faeve was the first to take action. In one swift motion, she had unslung the Daharil crossbow from her back and slid bolts into it. Her jaws tightened as she crouched on the ground.

The growl slowly drew closer along with an unmistakeable sound. I have heard that before... It was the sound of wings beating down air, much like the birds we had back at home, only multiplied manifolds.

The ledge outside the cave was obscured from view by the twisting tunnel. I failed to grasp my sword as my palms slick with sweat slid over the metal pommel. The growl grew to an ear-splitting crescendo and suddenly choked out.

The rush of wings was the only sound remained. A large thud announced that the bearer of the wings had landed on the ledge. Its huge weight made the ground rumble.

Bones snapped in the distance as it stepped over the skeletons. It growled again.

Growls from inside the cave responded to it, the little chicks screamed with all their might.

The heavy footsteps drew closer.

With the soft creak of leather Faeve drew her dagger.

The scant sunlight from the entrance clouded over. Elongated shadows fell over the cave, making and made the mushrooms glow even brighter.

My heart thumped against my chest like it wanted to break free. My eyes felt the shadows inch closer as I stared at the twisted turning.

With one silent motion, a huge, black-beaked head burst into view. The blue light glinted off the silvery feathers that sprouted out of its crown. The birds swivelled it’s long, feathery neck as a low growl shook the air, the vibrations pounding hard against my chest.

It's harsh grunts bounced off the walls as it searched frantically for something. The bird fixed its red eyes at the back of the cave where the chicks had started their infernal growling. The little chicks tumbled over each other as they rushed past our legs to meet their mother.

The silver feathers on top of its head shook as it brought it beak near the skinless chicks. Its long neck dropped down to nudge the little birds, with more gentleness and care than I would have ever thought those savage beaks were capable of.

Low rumbles shook the air repeatedly as the bird cooed and coaxed it’s little ones. The small chicks climbed and ran all around their mother, pecking her feathers.

However, that scene didn’t last long as soft shuffle beside me brought me back to my senses.

Faeve was slack jawed as she hands shook. Sweat beaded her temples and ran down her fair skin. A tinge of extreme fear ran through me as our connection gave me a measure of what Faeve felt. My stomach sank in a bottomless pit as I saw Faeve back away, her face ashen with terror.

Her lips mumbled incoherently as her breath fell ragged. By now, she had backed away almost at the extremity of the cave, almost flattening herself against the wall.

What...what is she so afraid of?

A chill ran down my spine as I saw Faeve’s face twist in a silent scream. She curled up on the ground with her hands over her ears.

What in the world...

Faeve sobbed softly as small tremors ran through her frail form. My hands grew cold as her sobs slowly turned to screams. I gulped as I felt a small portion of her fears. How...just much is she afraid of these bir—

A low growl interrupted my thoughts. The mother bird stared at us with its glowing red eyes. Low vibrations rumbled through its crimson breast.

Oh shit! Shit! Shit!

The bird’s growl was deafening as it threatened the invaders of its nest. The feathers of its crown rose up and shook with its roar. Metal on metal, its crown screeched like hundreds of knives nestled against each other.

A sobbing scream answered the howl. Faeve screamed while she flattened herself against the wall, her body shaking like a leaf.

“No! No!” she shrieked, “No!”

“Faeve!” I barked. What happened to her?

“No!” She made no sign of having heard me as her gaze transfixed on the bird. “WHY!” her scream drowned the howl of the bird, “Why is a false-mother here!”

What?

She tore at her flaxen hair while tears and snot ran down her tortured face. She started screaming in Elvish, her screams barely legible.

“Faeve!” I howled. Fuck, fuck fuck! I can’t fight this bird alone!

The bird stepped forward, the movement making the earth rumble.

“Faeve!” I ran over to her, “Faeve!”

Her eyes glazed over as she grabbed my clothes. A foul stench of urine rose from her as she sobbed into my clothes.

The bird shook its feathers, the movement sent a gust of wind barrelling down towards us, and with it, the sound of knives.

She...she is so afraid she pissed herself?

My heart threatened to break free of the ribcage. With each moment, the bird clambered closer. “Faeve!” I screamed and slapped her. She pitched sideways at the hit, falling face down on the hardened guano.

She looked up at me with a dazed expression. She licked off the small trickle of blood that ran down her mouth. “Augh”, She winced as she touched her face where I had hit her. Her lips trembled, “You—”

She couldn’t finish as the bird howled once again. It stood a few feet away from us, blocking the mouth of the cave. Rows of sharp teeth glinted in the scant light as the bird clacked loudly. The little chicks retreated under it's puffed up wings as if guided by some instinct to gather behind the protective umbrella provided by their mother.

A sharp sound split the air as the bird whipped its long tail. Sparks scattered from the stone walls each time its lion-like tail banged against it. Faeve closed her eyes shivered as each hit rang harshly against stone.

My mouth went dry as I watched the stone-tipped tail split open a bone nearby. “Faeve”, my voice grated as I shook her by the shoulders. “I don’t know what happened to you but—”

Chunk! A sliver of stone hit the wall behind us. “Snap out of it!” I cried in desperation.

Feave blinked as my fear flowed into her. “Stop shaking me”, she warbled as she flung my hands away.

“Good”. I took my wakizashi-dagger out. “How do we walk away from this?”

Faeve picked up her crossbow as she trained her eyes on the bird’s movements. “This is not a Sylphax. This—” She grunted as she reloaded the bolt, “is a false-mother Kairex. Moreover, quite old”.

“Spare the names for later”. I flexed my fingers as I felt AP gathering in my arms, ready to burst forth.

“It means that it has started to grow beast-steel”, She whispered. “Swords and bolts...won’t bother it much”.

My mouth hung open. Fuck this shit! how does a monster grow steel— I could feel a wry smile float on my face. This, after all, was Sangraal. Anything was possible.

“So then”, I wearied as sweat run down my shirt, my eyes settling on the monster’s.

It stared at us for a few moments. Time crawled to a halt as we stared at each other.

A mother, eager to protect her children.

Two raiders, fighting for their lives.

The Kairex’s tail rose up beside its head as it began to howl. The cry made Faeve drop her crossbow with a whimper.

A bolt split the air as the crossbow clattered on the floor.

Thunk! With a dull sound, the bolt passed through a gap and sunk into one of the little chicks.

The mother cried out with a pathetic whimper as the chick whined and tumbled to the ground. She nudged it with her beak to no avail. The chick lay convulsing amidst a growing pool of blood.

The Kairex turned towards us with rage in its blood red eyes. Razor sharp fangs erupted from its beak as it screamed in pain and fury at the death of her child. With a cry that shook the cavern, it charged.

My blood ran ice cold as I prepared to meet it. As I looked into a mother’s wrathful eyes, I realised one simple fact.

There would be no escape.

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