Read Online The Fabled Beast of Elddon by David Barber - Free Book Online

twenty feet below. She paused,
listening, and heard shouting and the sharp crack of a whip, somewhere off in
the distance. The floor trembled beneath her feet and there was a low grumble
of sound. She remembered again the way the ground had trembled at the beast’s approach
and felt the cold touch of fear along her spine. Taking a deep breath, she summoned
what little courage remained to her and started down.
    She
held the staff before her, gripping it the same way that the kerram on the
bridge had. She had seen how the kerram twisted the wood and how the staff had
spit fire. Ryia was fairly certain she could duplicate the effect. The staff
was a weapon and she would use it to defend herself if need be.
    At
the base of the steps was a long, crooked tunnel, the roof of which was
supported by posts and heavy beams. Lamps, like the ones her kerram captors had
carried, were set on the floor at intervals, lighting her course. At the end of
the tunnel was a huge cavern, a vast space lit by a thousand lamps set in
niches along the walls. Ryia paused, remaining in the shadows near the entrance,
afraid to go any farther lest she be revealed in that sea of illumination.
    The
size of the cavern was such that the entire village of Elddon could easily have
fit inside it. It was a honeycomb of misshapen alcoves and blind tunnels
beneath a crude dome. Portions of the ceiling were held up by an elaborate
framework of wooden timbers and sagging arches, the joints of which were
pinioned with thick cords of rope. A wooden walkway had been built thirty feet
above the floor and several kerram walked along it, watching the activity
below.
    Some
distance from where she stood, Ryia caught sight of a monster the like of which
she had never seen. The thing looked like a gigantic beetle and it appeared to
be chewing a hole in the cavern wall. Smoke billowed out of a pipe in the
center of the monster’s back and steam issued from narrow fissures along its
body. The lower portion of the creature consisted of countless wheels and pulleys,
odd protrusions and leather straps, all heaving and twisting, moving in a
coordinated effort. The monster inched forward, ingesting large chunks of earth
and stone and expelling smaller sized rocks behind it.
    A
dozen or more people, clad only in soiled rags and with shackles binding their
ankles, scrabbled through the rubble in the beetle’s wake, filling wheelbarrows
with pulverized rock. When the wheelbarrows were full, they were pushed out of sight,
somewhere deeper inside the cavern.
    More
kerram guards, some with curved swords and others carrying lumen-etched staffs,
monitored the prisoners’ efforts. Several of the kerram bore coiled whips.
These they used from time to time, lashing the prisoners into greater activity.
Ryia recognized some of the people’s faces. Here were those taken by the beast
of Elddon. Not devoured as many surmised, but deposited here in the bowels of
the earth and forced into labor by the kerram.
    Ryia
took a step back, stumbled, her foot slipping on the gravel strewn floor. The
sound drew the attention of one of the guards who turned to look in her
direction. The kerram began moving toward her, coming to investigate, but then
some commotion drew his attention away. The kerram paused, then turned back,
uncoiling his whip. Ryia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
She retreated quickly along the tunnel to the stairs, then to the room above.
She darted through the arch and began climbing the spiral staircase, moving
swiftly and trusting to luck that she would not encounter anyone coming down.
    When
she reached the passage where she had heard Sir Egan’s voice, she stopped, her
pulse racing. She listened and watched, but the passage remained empty. Ryia
knew now what she must do. There was a mystery here, some plot involving the
kerram and Sir Egan. The missing villagers were still alive and for their sakes
she had to tell someone. She had to find help, even if it meant