The Amulet Of Nicmir (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 1)

Chapter 43

By the time he opened the door and stepped out, Nyle's eyes felt swollen. But, considering Lynn was the only one waiting for him outside, he didn't care all that much that she could tell he'd been crying.

"Do you want to say anything?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"To her? No. Not until she's conscious, anyway." Lynn's expression wasn't nearly sad enough for a grandmother about to lose her grandchild. With a pincer-like hand, she grabbed Nyle's arm and guided him down the hallway. "But if you and I are going to save her, we have to hurry."

***

Nyle stared as Lynn ripped the tapestry from a portion of the wall. Beneath it was a slab of greyish stone, chiseled with worn designs, a little taller and wider than the average door.

They were in a lower part of the tunnels, and the air was stuffy and cool. They'd passed very few people on the way down. This particular hall, long and narrow, was covered from ceiling to floor in tapestries woven into designs of battles from the feud. They were colorful, intricate and detailed down to the finest thread.

"This is one of many sacred tunnels," Lynn explained, running her fingers along the stone. "Ever since I arrived, I've been fascinated with the religion of these people. I studied it, and one thing I discovered—" Leaning her full weight on the stone door, she whispered a word. "—was a legend of a monster that they uncovered while digging these passageways. His lair presumably lies beneath the city, and was cut off from the people after he went on a rampage."

Something in the wall shifted, and the door moved inward with a rumble. Lynn put her hands on it and pushed to the side. It slid freely, dislodging pebbles and dust. Beyond it, a black corridor stared back, musty and dank.

"While he had his murderous tendencies, he also harbored a remedy that could heal any sickness." Lynn stepped back and held out a sheathed scimitar she'd picked up somewhere along the way. "Or mend any wound. To gain it, one has to face several trials. If you fail, you die. It was his way of fairly acquiring his..." Here, she paused and grimaced. "Meals."

Nyle swallowed and looked down the corridor. "Can I ask how you know this monster is real?"

"Do you remember how I said my husband died?" Lynn smiled a little and swept her grey hair over one shoulder, bending her neck. In the flickering light of the torches, Nyle saw a long, white scar running across her throat. "I got this trying to save him. When I came out of the tunnels, I was too late, and nearly dead. The natives used the remedy to save me."

"What is this...monster?" Nyle asked, voice low. "What's his name?"

Lynn shrugged, crossing the hall to lift a torch from its bracket. "He is of serpentine origin, that much I know. A snake ten times the size of a man. The natives call him Rhamarr. Hand of fate."

"And there's no other way to save her?" Nyle hated, hated the fear creeping up on him. The dread clawing to overcome his desperation.

"Not unless you have a ridiculous amount of faith in the sun god, as these people do," Lynn said with a smile, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Take courage, my son. You have a sound mind and a strong heart. Let them guide you. Don't give up."

Nyle curled his fingers around the leather hilt of the scimitar and unsheathed the blade, watching it catch the firelight. "Lynn, if Lillian wakes up, or I don't come back..." He closed his eyes and lowered the sword. "Just...stay with her. Don't let her be alone."

"I will," Lynn said, poking him in the chest as she handed him the torch. "But you're coming back, you hear? You'll be sorry if I have to come in there after you."