I stood on the edge of the pier, staring down into the fog-shrouded abyss. An all too familiar dread crept up from the pit of my stomach, and I swallowed hard. After diving as long as I had, you’d think I’d have grown accustomed to the inevitable plunge. That last step out into nothingness followed by the rush of the wind on my face as I plummeted down into the swirling grey.
It wasn’t the fall itself that unnerved me, but what went on beneath the surface. The laws that were so heavily enforced in the city did not extend beyond the piers. Down in the fog, it was every man for himself, until you returned topside.
A gong tolled, signalling the crews to standby for inspection. I tugged on my harness, making sure it was secure, and then checked the rest of my gear. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched other urchins do the same. Noone spoke in the crews. There was no comradery, only the grim task of survival.
My stomach growled in protest. My previous dive hadn’t been very successful, and I’d barely scraped up enough relics to be permitted into the Boarding Lodge. Better to go hungry with a roof over your head than risk it in the alleyways at night.
I gritted my teeth. I’ll do better this time round.
The heavy thud of boots on wood signalled the Lodge Master’s arrival, and he addressed the crew in a voice as mean as his appearance.
“You know the drill, filth. You have until sundown to meet your quota and return to the Lodge.” His fierce gaze lingered on the new recruits, who cowered in fear. “Any later, and you’re on your own. Now get out of my sight!”
The gong tolled again, and people began diving. I pulled down my goggles, attached my breathing filter and, taking a deep breath, stepped off the pier and into the abyss.
I fell for what seemed an eternity. All the while pricking my ears for the signal that I’d reached the bottom. It finally came; a scream of terror followed by the sickening crunch of a body hitting solid ground.
One less person to worry about, I thought as I quickly pulled on my crank brake to halt my descent, then released it again, dropping the last couple of feet to the hardpan ground below. Tendrils of fog curled around me like a cloak. I scanned my surroundings in tense silence, my fingers clutching the hilt of my dagger, hoping for a break in the impenetrable shroud.
The fog parted briefly, and I dashed down the revealed path on silent feet—instilled in me through years living off the streets—eyes darting everywhere. You needed to be on guard at all times down here. The horrors that dwelled within the fog offered no room for mistakes. I pressed on, pushing deeper into the surreal land in search of anything salvageable.
A blood-curdling shriek came from my right, followed by the sound of something heavy and metallic dragging along the ground forced me to skid to a halt. It was close, too close for comfort. I shivered as goosebumps blossomed over my body. The object was being pulled slowly and deliberately in my direction. My heart pounded in my chest.
Has it picked up my scent?
My thoughts scattered like a swarm of rats as I heard the crunch of rapid, heavy footfalls fast approaching off to my left.
The dragging stopped.
This is bad. Time for me to go.
I began edging backwards, just as a burly urchin garbed in rags and nothing else burst through the swirling fog ahead of me and to the left. He had a bulging sack slung over his shoulder. He looked awfully familiar, but he hadn’t been on the crew when we’d dived. Where had I seen him before?
Our eyes met, and I saw unhinged madness staring back at me. Everything snapped into place. He was one of the lost. I had never come across any, and believed it was impossible for anyone to survive down here.
The dragging started again with a feverish urgency. I raised a finger to my lips, hoping that the deranged urchin would heed my instruction. Instead, he snarled and lunged at me. I stumbled backwards, pulling my dagger free, and pointed it at the urchin. He drew back, weary of the blade in my grasp.
Suddenly, a massive, sinewy grey-skinned hand shot out of the fog and grabbed him around his middle. He howled in protest while squirming to break free. The sack he had been carrying dropped to the floor, spilling its contents. The hand lifted him off the ground with ease, and the rest of the creature’s monstrous form stepped through the fog.
It was humanoid, but its limbs were disproportionate, and it loomed above us. Its face ended in an elongated muzzle, with slits for nostrils that flared as it drank in the urchin’s scent. Milky-white eyes stared at nothing, while large bat-like ears focused on the urchin’s frantic howling.
The creature clutched a thick iron chain in its other hand, which it dragged forward, revealing a large, twisted iron-wrought cage. It regarded the struggling urchin in its clutches a moment longer before snapping his neck with its thumb and placed his limp body in the cage. It then turned in my direction, ears twitching, slits flaring.
My blood froze in my veins, and my breath caught in my chest.
This is how I die.
Shouts in the distance drew its attention away from where I crouched, and without pause, it disappeared into the fog in search of its next victim. The grating sound of the iron cage dragging along the ground faded into silence.
I exhaled and gathered my nerves. I had seen the aftermath of grizzly scenes, but never had I been that close to death. It rattled me.
My gaze fell on the spilled contents of the urchin’s sack, and a smile crawled across my lips.
So he hadn’t been completely insane.
I offered a silent prayer to whichever god was listening for my luck and then started transferring the spilled relics to my pack. The relics were unlike any I had ever come across. I had a feeling the haul was more than enough to elevate me into the inner-city. The prospect made me giddy with excitement as I made my way back to the lodge.
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