~ Wynne has a terrifying experience but thankfully Legolas has fought a lake monster before. ~
41. Fighting a Lake Monster
Wynne pounded and thrashed, trying to get whatever it was to loosen its grip on her leg, but the more she fought, the tighter it clenched until she felt like her calf might snap.
Ever down they went, where the water was piercing cold and the darkness impenetrable. Chilled to the bone and starting to panic she pulled at the thing frantically, but it was smooth and slippery, impossible to get a grip on with her numbing fingers.
The downward movement stopped and Wynne hit a body of sorts, big and firm. Bracing herself against that, she kicked with her free foot at the thing trapping her leg, employing all the force she could muster.
Pain surged through her other foot; the surface underneath apparently had sharp edges (teeth?). There was no helping it so she kicked again and again, but the thing wouldn't budge.
Her lungs burned. She desperately needed air, and soon!
She tried to drag her stuck leg against the sharpness below, feeling her skin break and hoping it would hurt the thing as well. This seemed to do the trick. Finally it loosened a little, enough for Wynne to slip away and with a last kick push off and surge upward.
High above was a faint lightness, but so far away, too far. She swam and swam, all the time expecting the thing to catch her again. Her heart pounded and bright flashes sparkled in the edges of her vision. She couldn't hold her breath much longer.
Exerting every last ounce of strength, she covered the final yard and broke the surface, gasping for air.
The sky had cleared and the moon was out. Now for the first time she could see the thing – or things, rather – that had caught her, vague shadows against the moonlight. What was it?
It was huge, with one central body and many snake-like tentacles that waved in the air and stirred the water, like they were searching, maybe trying to find her again. In the center was a round mouth, and the sharp parts indeed seemed to be teeth, a clutter of them, silvery and pointed like a basket of knives.
There was someone else in the lake too, struggling with the creature, fighting it.
Legolas! He was injured, he should not wrestle a lake monster!
But there was no time to see how he managed for a tentacle shot toward her, its many suction cups open and ready to attach themselves. No wonder it had been hard to get off!
She threw herself backwards until she hit rock. The shore was steep here and she scrabbled in vain across the slick surface, unable to climb it.
But there! A darkness beside her, a crack in the stone wall. She followed the cliff until she reached the hollow part and crawled in, kicking the tentacle when it brushed against her foot.
The cave was narrow and she stood with water up to her waist. Further inside was a ledge above the surface and she scrambled onto it, turning to face the monster. The tentacle had followed her in and now another joined it. They were aiming straight at her as if they could see without eyes.
The floor underneath was rough and she felt a loose stone against her palm. She picked it up and hacked fervidly at the groping limbs, but they were so fast and she began to get tired. Before she knew it, one had sucked itself onto her foot and immediately began to pull her out.
She slid along the uneven ground, tossing away the makeshift weapon and flailing wildly to catch something to hold on to. Her fingers connected with a protruding part of the wall and by stretching her body she managed to get a weak hold and drag herself closer. She wrapped both arms and her free leg around it, clinging to it with all her might.
The strong appendage still tugged mercilessly. Wynne tried to scrape it against the wall, while simultaneously fending off the other one that hovered dangerously close to her head. It made a thrusting attack in her direction, hitting the crag in the process.
The rock crumbled with a rumble that echoed between the cave walls. Loose stones and gravel poured down, taking her with them.
Black water engulfed her. The rockfall must be covering the entrance, for now all light was gone. Her foot had been released though, thankfully, and she pushed away from the bottom, bouncing to the surface.
Again she mounted the rock shelf in the farthest end of the hole, shivering and huddling, anxiously peering through the darkness.
Was she trapped in here now?
The tentacle seemed to be gone, at least. Perhaps destroyed by falling stones?
Then she felt it again, that sickening, probing abomination searching through the water, finding her hiding place. Apparently the opening was not entirely shut, there must remain a hole big enough for one tentacle, and the creature wouldn't give her any respite.
The only relief was that it didn't reach as far into the cave as before. She was safe in the deepest end.
With her back pressed flat against the wall she stood, balancing unsteadily on the thin ledge. The air shifted whenever the sweeping organ passed by and the water clucked and splashed as it writhed in the confined space.
Where was Legolas? Had the monster devoured him whole with that huge, toothy mouth? Hot tears burned on her cheeks. She was stuck here, forever caught in this black hole and she would surely die just as he had. Her situation was entirely hopeless.
oOo
Minutes or hours went by; in the absolute darkness there was no way to measure them. Wynne trembled badly from a combination of cold and agitation. Her legs were on fire, aching with the effort to keep out of the tentacle's reach and she dared not stir even slightly.
Her bruised leg was beginning to hurt too, throbbing dully where she had scraped it on the thing's teeth.
Then she felt a change in the air. The tentacle had stopped moving! And the water was becoming calm as well. Had it left?
Another unmeasurable amount of time passed. She strained her hearing, willing herself to breathe calmer and her heartbeat to slow down. It really was quieter now.
And then! A faint voice, muted by the rock wall: "Wynne!"
Legolas! It was Legolas' voice, she would have recognized it anywhere. He was alive, outside in the lake and looking for her! That meant the monster must be defeated.
But how could she get out?
Tentatively she slipped down from the ledge, landing on something soft and squishy. Letting out an involuntary yelp of shock, she had nearly climbed back up again when she realized the thing was perfectly still. It was dead.
"Wynne!" The voice was closer now. Maybe he had heard her cry out.
"Legolas! I'm in here!" She waded over to the rockfall and tried to feel if there was anything left of the opening. It must be because the tentacle had come inside.
With a deep breath she crouched below the surface, examining the rugged stone with her fingers. The way out was submerged in water but it was bigger than she had thought, perhaps half a yard in diameter. Unless it got tighter further out she should be able to get through.
She was out of air and surfaced.
"Where? Where are you?"
"Stay there. I'm coming out!" Drawing another few breaths Wynne braced herself, mustering courage to proceed. Then she dove down, swimming with steady strokes through the narrow tunnel, using the limp tentacle as a guide.
More rocks tumbled down as she brushed under them and with a flash of panic she wriggled free, popping out like a stopper from a bottle.
She bumped into something right outside. It was a body, but not soft or slimy. This was no monster, it was Legolas!
Breaking the surface she threw herself around his neck.
They hugged close and hard, neither of them finding any words. And then the others were there, Thranduil, Galion, Nugu – all of them coming together in a joint embrace.
"Are you hurt?" Thranduil sounded uncharacteristically concerned.
"Not too bad. I think I cut my leg."
"Come, let us get you out of here."
Legolas took Wynne's hand and led her ashore, where Sidra met her with another rough hug. "I'm glad you are alright. When I saw the elves battle that thing I thought you were gone forever." Her voice was thick with emotion.
Someone lit a lantern and another started a fire. Wynne sat close to it, hoping to get her body heat up again.
She gingerly touched her lower leg. There were round, swollen bumps where the monster's tentacles had attached themselves, but the cut didn't seem deep.
"Allow me." Thranduil had sat beside her. He carefully cleaned the wound and smeared athelas salve on it. "It has stopped bleeding already. I think we can leave it open to dry," he said, mostly to Galion who was holding the healing equipment.
"Aye, and those swellings should hopefully go down soon. There will probably be bruises, though." He stroked one of the bumps.
"What about you, Legolas, are you hurt?" Wynne anxiously recalled how he had fought the thing one-handedly.
"Nay. I have encountered a creature of that ilk before, outside Moria. I knew its weak spot."
"Nevertheless you should have called us sooner," scolded his father.
"There was no time. I could not let it take her!"
"How come you were in the lake in the first place?" Thranduil had turned to Wynne and even in this slight lamplight that intimidating, knowing gaze penetrated her.
Her mouth went dry.
"She slipped." Legolas saved her from a lame attempt at lying. "On the wet stones."
"She slipped," repeated Thranduil.
It was clear he didn't believe that but thankfully Galion interrupted before he could ask more. "Come, we are all cold and soaked through, let us change into dry clothes and get back to sleep." He helped Wynne stand.
"You go with me," decided Sidra and turned to her husband: "Honey, is it alright if you sleep outside for the rest of the night?"
"Of course."
Wynne was promptly ushered into the tent where Sidra dried and undressed her in a no-nonsense way. It was comforting, like she was a little girl and just had been bathed by Grandmama.
When she at last lay in her bed, dry and feeling warmth return, she heard Thranduil's dry voice from his and Legolas' tent.
"It's interesting. She slipped so suddenly, and you still had time to remove your hose and your boots."
A/N:
Swimming in lakes always freaks me out – I'm certainly more of a sea person (I even live on an island heh). I'm afraid I will catch leeches or be bitten by an old pike, the water is so dark and who knows what evil hides in the deep? This fear might have influenced this chapter. ;)
Image Credits:
Public domain, photo by Erik Thange, Pixabay.
Source: https://www.needpix.com/photo/1275402/octopus-sea-life-underwater-ocean-fauna-water-invertebrate-biology-animal-wildlife