Keys to the Demon Prison

Bracken came up from behind. "All our gear is ready."

"Any word on reinforcements?" Seth asked.

"Agad is on his way," Bracken said. "I can’t get into specifics. Nagi Luna has been watching us a lot lately. We caught her eye once we boarded this ship. She’s watching us right now."

Kendra shivered. "Can you tell where she is?"

"She’s nearby, on the island," Bracken said. "Inside the dome. I can’t discern much else. She’s not really worried about us, just interested."

"Can you brighten up the mist?" Seth asked.

"I’m not sure you’d like what you saw," Bracken said. "Undead guardians on jagged teeth of rock."

"I’m starting to hear them," Seth said. "Most of them are moaning. A few sound thirsty. Some are inviting us to join them."

"You can see them?" Kendra asked Bracken.

"I can sense them," Bracken said. "Huge beasts in the water as well. They keep away from our ship, though."

As the ship continued forward, Kendra heard a churning, sucking sound up ahead and a little to the right. "Do you hear that?"

"The whirlpool?" Bracken asked. "It will get louder."

The Lady Luck passed right by the gurgling vortex, never swerving or rocking. As the ominous sucking of the whirlpool receded, the mist began to thin.

"I see the island," Kendra said. "It’s big. I can’t see the whole thing. There are lots of sharp rocks in the water. I don’t see any beach, just waves pounding rugged stone."

A moment later, the Lady Luck slowed to a halt.

"This must be our stop," Bracken said.

They descended to the main deck, where a pair of undead mariners ushered them over to the side. Down below, two rowboats awaited them, crewed by more undead sailors.

"They even brought Hugo a boat," Seth said.

"These zombie pirates think of everything," Warren said. "I’m going to recommend the Lady Luck to my friends."

Kendra climbed down the side of the ship between Bracken and Seth. All of them went in one boat, except for Doren and Hugo. Once the passengers were situated, the rowers began maneuvering away from the ship.

As the launches glided toward the island, the moon broke through the clouds, brightening the scene. Everywhere Kendra looked, water sprayed against treacherous rocks, the frothy foam reflecting the moonlight. She could not envision how they would reach the shore without drowning.

In the volatile water, the smaller boat did not enjoy the same supernatural stillness as the Lady Luck. Kendra clung to the gunwale as the boat pitched and rocked, cold spray slopping over the sides. Fighting hard, the rowers guided the craft through a turbulent slalom course of menacing boulders. Three times Kendra closed her eyes as a crash seemed imminent, but each time the undead seamen managed to dodge the obstacle.

The forbidding shore drew near, fountains of brine exploding over angular rocks and blasting up through blowholes. The rowboat surged forward with the breaking waves, and Kendra braced for the inevitable collision, ready for the craft to shatter against unforgiving stone. At the last moment, oars thrashing, the rowboat veered left, lurching sideways under a stone arch into a small, hidden cove.

Although mostly sheltered from the breakers, the water in the cove rose and fell erratically. The boat containing Hugo entered after them. Steep rock faces surrounded the cove on all sides. The rowers piloted the boats over to the most climbable face.

Hugo lunged out of his boat, finding purchase on the steep slope. The golem reached out, and, as the water level in the cove rose high, Bracken guided Kendra into his hand. Holding Kendra in one earthen hand, Hugo quickly scaled the face. From the top, Kendra peered down as the others disembarked and scrambled up the steep slope. Bracken created a floating ball of light to help illuminate the climb.

By the time everyone reached the top, the rowboats had exited the cove to return to the ship. Kendra could hardly imagine how the launches could row against the incoming barrage of breakers, but as far as she could see, the undead sailors made a smooth escape.

Bracken increased the size and brightness of his light ball and left it hovering about twenty feet above his head. Not far from the craggy shore, the island became vegetated, with tall trees draped with vines overshadowing exotic ferns. Nearby lay a timeworn statue of a lion, webbed with cracks and missing three legs. Standing, it would have been almost as tall as Hugo.

Bracken took the lead, guiding them along the coast until they reached a sandy lagoon. A barricade of dark rocks, jutting like rows of fangs, shielded the far side of the placid lagoon from the fury of the sea. Huge stone slabs and broken pillars littered the beach, as if graceful structures had once stood here. Kendra ran a hand over the crooked base of a broken column, examining the remnants of intricate carvings.

"This looks like a good spot for a picnic," Seth said, sitting down on the edge of a half-buried foundation. "These are sort of like benches."

"I could eat," Warren said.

"This might represent our best chance for a meal," Bracken agreed.

Kendra sat down, digging into her backpack for water. The voyage on the Lady Luck had used up much of their food and water, but enough remained for one last decent snack. At this point, it would consist mostly of jerky, nuts, crackers, and dried fruit. As everyone took inventory, Kendra realized they had packed their provisions on the assumption that after today they would need no more food. If they somehow survived, she supposed they could fish.

Nobody spoke as they ate. The dangerous trip to shore had left Kendra shaken, and the mysterious atmosphere of the dismal beach did little to brighten her spirits. The knowledge that they were all about to die hung over the meal. None of them discussed their impending doom, but Kendra felt certain they were all pondering it. She ate mechanically, the nuts and jerky tasteless in her mouth.

As the eating slowed, Bracken stood. "I can sense the shrine to the Fairy Queen farther along this coast. The shrine lies near the east side of the dome encasing the door to Zzyzx. If I understand the lore correctly, the dome should open to face the rising sun, so the shrine might be a good place to make our final preparations."

"Lead on," Trask said.

"You realize we have to live through this," Warren said, shouldering his pack. "There’s no way my last meal is going to be hiker food."

Newel and Doren laughed. Nobody else could muster the effort. They started walking, Bracken in the lead.

"Come on, people!" Newel chided. "Warren made a joke. He has a point! We don’t have to trudge to Zzyzx like mourners at our own funerals! We came on this mission knowing the outcome would be our demise. Doesn’t that remove most of the stress? I’d be a lot more nervous if I thought I had a chance."