Into the Hedge Ch 3

Knight of the Autumn Crown : Book 1

"Who are you, by the way?" Aes asked.

"... Tell you later de'ah," The Spirit replied

The human rolled her eyes at the response. Muttering something under her breath, she pushed forward into the cave. All around, high-pitched humming of the fungus played a disharmonious tune. Each twitching in response to some strange and unknown stimulation. They had grown up alone the walls into a large arch, taking the formation of a great maw. A very unwelcoming sight, Aes took in a deep breath before continuing on.

Each step released a murky liquid from the ground. Aes kept her body knelt as she moved. A sudden flat knock echoed from under her. She stopped suddenly. Looking directly at her right foot. She was standing over a worn yet worked tile. Using the light from the lantern. She leaned down l looking at the flooring. Slowly bringing the light forward to follow the tiles.

As her eyes adjusted to the ambient glow. A tall form came into view. Aes froze, eyes wide, as she looked up at it in motionless form. An appendage, an arm most likely, extended up and forward as if pointing or waving.

"What is this? A statue?" she asked.

"...Move me closer." The Spirit replied

Slowly rising from the light for a better view, Aes noticed the form stood upon a chiseled stone block, covered in thick, damp moss. Raising the light farther, she looked upon a weathered stone statue. Its form cracked and decayed. Missing half of its arm and face. Someone placed several random objects at the base of the carved stone. Rocks, strange bones, ripped up fungus and sharpened sticks.

"Childe! You need to leave, he're. fast!" The spirit commanded.

"What is it?" Aes responded.

Echoes of chittering bounced off the walls. Aes looked back at the entrance. An unknown number of silhouettes moved into the line of sight between her and the ambient light. Their dull grey eyes seemed to glow, in reflection to the shift in radiance. Changing her posture to a more aggressive stance with the sharpened sticks, she braced for a potential attack.

The 'mites' began moving in. Aes watched as their hideous eyes got closer to her. Pulling the sleeve oh her jacket down over her hand, she made a second attempt at the makeshift spear. She shrieked upon tightening her hand. Seizing her arm in pain from the hooked barb. The subterranean creatures responded to her shriek with louder aggressive noises. They begin to swarm with surprising intellect. Several of them moving into circular directions and higher elevations. Aes dropped the light, grabbing the wooden spear with her right hand as she turned to face the attackers.

It was nearly impossible to see in the dim light. The echoes of chittering mites made their location difficult to decipher. Aes shifted her body, aiming the wooden spear at any sign of movement, even alternations in radiance and color of the glowing mushrooms caused her to twitch.

Two sets of large, bull frog eyes advancing towards her from out of the darkness. They were merely a yard away before Aes spotted their dull gray shine reflecting the changing colors in the room. She rose from the stick and yelled out "Get back!" in a horse tone.

This did nothing to slow the creatures moving towards her. Their misshapen heads gave them a slight zombie-like waddle. A foul smell, like rotten fish, swarmed from the creases of their limbs. Making a mushy noise while clicking theirs lounges, like some form of echolocation.

A face fulled of disgust, Aes arched her back to swing viciously at one of them ... and missed. The slime from the spear slipped its way from her grasp, disappearing into the darkness. Over zealous momentum spun Aes off balance. Forcing her down on her knees to the slick tile floor. The bulbus little dwarves turned their heads to the side, the way a bird would.

Close enough to see the minute details in the Dim light. Aes recoiled at their revealed their puffy faces. Pale blue with large swollen heads. Flapping fish jaws with rows of tiny pointed teeth with and dopy ears. Wearing rags and bare clawed feet. From overhead, one leaped down from a rock. Its weight brought down upon her back, Aes slammed into the ground, breath expelled from her lungs. The dwarfish assailants swarmed the young human during the altercation.

They pulled at her hair, clothes and anything else on her person. Aes kicked and punched blindly, gasping for breath. Several of the creatures yelped, ceasing of their mugging in retreat. Though not without random objects from her person. The others were not so easily deterred and continued the attack. They tore at her jacket, jeans. Tearing off buttons, zippers and other metallic, shining objects. Victorious, these mites fled, their yipping seemed quicker and lighter as ran off. Leaping or dancing with webbed palms rose high is a display of the metal pieces.

Aes continued her flailing against any perceived enemy. Settling down once, no opponent was consciously visible. Panting and juddering, she pawed at her hair and torn clothes, with tears flowing from her face. Seizing a stick, left behind by another of the mites. She aimed it outwardly. Backing towards her lantern, prepared for another attack. Chest rising and falling, heavy.

"Keep the lantern within ya hand. tis the only way I can help!" The Spirit told her. A moment passed before Aes nodded in response. Her breath slowly calming.

Unaware of the small hand creeping up. Aes was far too focused outwardly. One of the remaining mites reached out for the glittering rosary. Dangling hypnotically on her left wrist. Its silvery surface gleamed like a diamond in the eyes of this petty thief. Slowly, it reached out to the reflective shimmer of the Crucifix. Both bulging bull frog eyes locked on to the treasure.

Its clawed hand slowly clenched the icon. A sickening hiss of acidic burbling emanated from its tightened grip. Aes shrieked again as the deformed dwarf released a high-pitched roar from the shadows beside her. Unaware of the thick club that shot out from the darkness, striking her hard in the temple. Aes slumped back, her eyes rolled back, as her head rocked back and forth. Her grumbling assailant emerged from the dark. Whining at the seared cross mark on its palm.

Aes lay unconscious, a dark purple swelling upon on the outside of her left eye. Head rocking back and forth, slowly regaining consciousness. Forceful inaudible whispers from the spirit called out to her.

"Aes...!"

The human only grunted in response.

"...My De'ah. Awaken!"

With blurry vision, Aes rolled over. Pawing at the lantern like an annoying alarm clock, back arching, knees pulled in to prop herself up. A glazed expression met with the spirit's own otherworldly face.

"You are not without peril yet, childe, now rise!"

With small breathy gusts of exhaustion. Aes reached out to lift the lantern. A sudden sucking of air as she flinched. Grabbing her shoulder in pain. Blood had begun leaking from the thorn in her shoulder. She rocked forward into a kneeling potion, the top of her head resting upon the statue's base. Her hair rolled from side to side as she shook her head.

"You must!" It said with more command.

It took several increasingly deeper inhales before Aes lifted herself upright. A bloody palm of her right hand pressed against the base to push herself up. One foot, then the other. Aes now stood on her feet. Enchanted lamp on her left. Whimpering sounds escaped her. The soreness of the strike to her head snapped her drive in place of a small headache.

A black ink bubbled from under the bloody handprint. Producing tiny needle like quills that pierced the petite red mark, sucking the blood into the very stones. The face the of ruined statue shifted in distorting expression, it's static head turning to look directly at the young human.

A shadowy figure oozed upon the walls from behind the stone carving, though Aes didn't notice. It bled along the cave rock seamlessly. At first, mimicking the figure. The silhouette tugged violently on each of its own limbs, as if to rend them free from some unseen shackle. It grew more and more distorted, unnatural and inhuman. Each appendage, legs, arms, neck, and head stretched out to disproportional length. It's the most disturbing of all. Its shadow puppet like face. A bird like nose, blunted large teeth that sat inside a hung gapping jaw. near obscure vacant pits for eye sockets.

It stalked after the unaware human, shambling forward with a jerky motion. Riding along the surface of the wall. The shadow was so large, it arch from one side of the cave was down to the other. Legs lumbering on the right, while misshapen head suspended from the left. Its sense of location cause the head to twist the serpent-like neck around to being upright. A twisted grin appeared on the wall where it appeared. An insidious hissing voice echoed from the corners, murmuring strange and unsettling words. Only one was audibly comprehendible "... LIIIFE!"

Aes stopped for a moment. Minor bumps on her arms and neck peaked. Lantern held high. She turned around to confront the source of this sensation, but there was nothing.

"I can.." She began

"I hear it too. Be on your guard!" The Lantern replied.

Nervously, she took two steps back before resuming her way within the caverns, cautious of the dwarfish mites that dwelled within. With tired legs and sore feet, her unplanned exposition continued. A soft gurgle in the pit of her stomach, Aes leaned forward slightly. Resting her left arm across her abdomen. All around, the luminous mushrooms twitched and hummed. Their color fading into darker, redder versions of blue.

Up ahead, the dwarfish mites froze in fear. Floppy ears flicked and twisted. One after another, the small beings screeched in fear as they sought refuge. Abandoning their trinkets and treasures for safety. Some seeking sanctuary far away within the cave, others watched, trembling, from the cracks and crevasses. The ambient light from the lantern followed by a darker presence.

Enormous frog eyes watched the shade stretched its inhuman limbs towards the unaware human. Though nothing was visible to the human eye. The dark form stretched out its black silhouette limb towards the small creatures. Retrieving from a small archway from where they hid a small curved knife. The blade hovered in the air towards the human.

The cave radiated an ungodly deep red from the twitching fungus. Still humming a dissonant tone, but now is a lower octave. Aes, still slightly dazed, faced nearly a dozen mites who had emerged with clubs and spears drawn. They hopped and stamped their feet. Snarled with gnashing teeth. Some gurgling words while others swollen up their necks like actual bull frogs.

Her breath quickened at the sight of these things. Left hand tensing up on the lantern's handle, despite the sharp pain in her arm.

"Raise the lamp de'ah. I..."


A forceful gust of of wind cut off the spirit as it spoke. A mixture of air and disembodied voices muttering in strange words. Clumps of Aes's hair flew forward over her shoulders, as it blew past. The mites lost poise. Some fell back onto their hunched backs. They screamed and cried, waving their arm frantically to get away. Each shouting a slightly discernable word. "Yee-ga! Yee-ga!!"

"Whoa, that was scary..." She said with a nervous chuckle.

"...That what'n me de'ah." The spirit answered. "We are not alone! RUN!"