Legends of the Lurker Box Set

by Richard H. Stephens

  “Don’t know.”

  “Did he say when he was coming back?”

  “No.”

  Reecah sighed. Trying to carry on a conversation with Fleabag wasn’t the same as speaking to a dragon or a person. The lion didn’t seem able to carry a normal conversation, or perhaps, being a cat, didn’t feel like it.

  “What did he tell you to do while he was gone?”

  “Keep hidden.”

  Standing up, she ran her free hand through her hair. “According to Fleabag, Devius went into Arcanium to meet someone called Nelly.”

  “Then I guess the city it is. We’ll ask around for anyone that goes by that name. There can’t be that many.”

  Reecah stared at the far away gate. If Junior was right about the king posting writs for her capture throughout the Great Kingdom, they might be walking into trouble. She shuddered at the thought of the dark heir. If he caught her, she feared for her dragon friends. Lurker and Swoop wouldn’t sit idly by. She couldn’t bear the thought of being responsible if they came to harm trying to protect her. Nor could she ask Junior to enter the city on his own. After what happened at Headwater Castle, there would certainly be a writ out for his capture as well.

  “I don’t know what to do. Let’s take Fleabag back to Lurker and Swoop and discuss it with them.”

  Junior sheathed his sword. Waiting to see which side Fleabag walked on, he made his way to Reecah’s opposite side and started back to where the dragons waited at the edge of the fissure—their bulk visible in the distance.

  Raver caught a wind current high overhead and was halfway to the dragons in no time.

  “Now remember, Fleabag. The dragons are my friends.” She smiled at Junior, feeling odd to be talking to a cat. “Our friends.”

  “Been talking to them.”

  Reecah stopped. “You have? I never heard anything.”

  Fleabag continued padding casually, muscles rippling her sleek shoulders and hind legs. “Didn’t concern you.”

  Shaking her head, Reecah broke into a jog to keep pace with Fleabag. “How long have you been talking to them?”

  “Not long.”

  She stared at Fleabag, but if the lioness sensed her scrutiny, she ignored it.

  “Interesting friends you acquire,” Lurker said as they approached him and Swoop sitting close together.

  His words gave her pause. She’d never really thought about it before. How many people travelled with not one, but four dragons, a dwarf, the eldest son of a bitter rival, an elf who would sooner chop your head off than listen to your opinion, a raven missing half of his toes, and now, an albino lioness? “Ha, you’re not kidding. You included.”

  Lurker looked hurt, but she knew it was an act.

  “Don’t pretend you’re so surprised, Lurky. If not for you, I doubt any of this would’ve happened.”

  Lurker’s eyes narrowed at the use of his nickname. “Oh, so it’s my fault you have befriended a man-eating beast?”

  Reecah laughed. “Seems to me that all my friends are man-eating beasts except Aramyss and Junior here.”

  “I wouldn’t let Tamra hear you say that,” Junior mumbled.

  Ignoring his comment, she observed Fleabag. Something had caught the lion’s attention. Reecah raised her eyebrows, indicating to Junior to watch the lioness.

  Fleabag’s ears perked up. She sniffed at the slight breeze and looked toward Arcanium.

  “What is it, girl?”

  Fleabag didn’t answer. Nose to the ground, she walked back and forth, sniffing for a bit and then raised her head. Passing behind Swoop, she became rigid, her golden eyes staring at the ravine.

  The implication of Fleabag’s actions struck Reecah. “You think Devius is down there?”

  “Yes. Danger also lies down that path.”

  The ravine fell away—an unnavigable drop to the canyon floor. “Can you follow their trail?”

  In response, Fleabag broke into a run, her claws churning up dirt as she accelerated.

  Reecah started after her but there was no way to keep up. She slowed to a walk. “Fleabag! Wait!”

  Fleabag ran along the brink and elicited a gasp from Reecah as the lioness vaulted over a large rock and disappeared. Fearing Fleabag had fallen over the edge, Reecah sprinted to the rock and discovered a steep trail descending the side of the gorge. She tracked the thin ledge with her eyes. Fleabag’s receding form disappeared around a bend far below.

  Looking back at Junior, she rolled her eyes. “Great. Lost her already.”

  She followed Junior’s eyes to the dragons. “Of course!”

  She handed him her staff and turned around. “Quick. Secure it for me.”

  Junior patted her back to let her know the staff and quarterstaff were secure.

  Without looking back, Reecah charged at the dragons.

  Lurker was ready for her. Not pausing, Reecah vaulted from his front leg and landed on his shoulders. “We need to follow Fleabag. I think she’s tracking Devius.”

  Her last words came out as a squeak as Lurker crouched and sprung into the air. Two quick wing-flaps and they were beyond the brink, diving into the murky depths of whatever lay below.

  Junior’s shout of euphoria alerted her that he and Swoop had also entered the tight canyon’s confines—his voice echoing several times before it carried away. A blur of brown and silver dropped past her; the diving duo disappearing beneath Lurker’s bulk.

  “There,” Lurker said at the same time Reecah spotted Fleabag part way down the dizzying height of the wall.

  The lion’s reckless charge had her scrambling around bends, her back feet barely hanging onto the thin ledge—her passage kicking stones and debris off the ledge.

  Lurker dropped through the air so fast that Reecah feared they would hit the bottom of the canyon at any moment but the rock wall kept soaring past. Far below, Junior and Swoop pulled out of their suicidal dive and glided along the remnants of a dried riverbed.

  Fleabag’s scrabbling passage and the gentle snap of Lurker’s wings were the only sounds at the bottom of the fissure. Though no longer basked in sunshine, the closer they got to the canyon floor, the warmer the air became.

  Raver startled her as he appeared out of nowhere, diving past her face and closing the distance on Swoop.

  Thunder rumbled down the canyon. Reecah twisted to see the sliver of sky above, nearly unseating herself. Despite a few clouds scudding across the blue expanse, there appeared to be no reason for thunder. Another clap echoed up the canyon toward them.

  “Do you hear that?”

  “I’m a dragon.”

  “It sounds like thunder.”

  “That’s not thunder.”

  “What is it, then?”

  Junior shouted something incoherent. He and Swoop flew far ahead, winging around towering rock formations that rose from the canyon floor.

  Swoop’s voice sounded in her head. “Something big is happening down a side canyon.”

  Lurker’s wings beat faster. Each stroke drove enormous volumes of wind behind them. The ground rushed by faster and faster.

  Swerving around a column of rock, its base thinner than its top, Reecah hung on for dear life. “Wait for us!”

  Swoop’s left wing dipped low, so close to scraping the ground that a thin trail of dust followed in her wake as she banked left and flew out of sight.

  “I don’t think they’re listening.”

  “Typical.” Reecah adjusted her weight to help Lurker navigate the rock formations, becoming more in tune with him every time they flew.

  Above them and slightly ahead, Fleabag flashed into view. Reecah cringed, afraid the lioness was going to fall from the ledge as her back legs slipped over the brink but somehow, she righted herself and continued her headlong plunge down the thin path and disappeared from view.

  “Hold on tight.”

  Wrapping her arms around Lurker’s neck, a habit she had gotten away from as her flying skills improved, Reecah thought for sure that she was g
oing to be thrown over his right shoulder when he suddenly dipped his left wing and shot into the narrow canyon on their left—the walls so tight, Lurker’s outstretched wingtips barely fit within the crevice’s confines.

  It was darker in the side canyon; sunlight barely registering at ground level. Swoop and Junior were lost to sight behind a wall of dust their flight kicked up.

  Their dust cloud lit up orangey-red—the bright flash followed by a palpable detonation.

  “That’s wizard’s fire!” Reecah hadn’t witnessed many arcane battles but considering who they were searching for, she knew at once that magic was being deployed. “Hurry, Devius is in trouble!”

  Lurker dipped his head, driving his wings hard—the sudden acceleration almost dislodged her from his neck.

  Another flash—its light so bright she was forced to turn her head. Rock fragments clattered off Lurker’s scales—his head and neck sheltering her as a subsequent explosion shook the canyon.

  Bursting through the dust cloud, a terrifying scene unfolded against an abrupt end to the side canyon. Reecah had only a moment to witness Devius and a large woman in a white tunic fighting the strangest group of creatures—beasts she never knew existed. Slug-like bodies reared up on the end of a scorpion’s tail; great pincers snapping at the air as they passed.

  She screamed, smashing her face off Lurker’s hard-scaled neck as his wings changed their tilt and they shot up the wall at the end of the fissure.

  Stone chips erupted from the pressure of his claws raking the cliff face to keep from crashing into it and killing them both.

  Staring into the sky overhead, Swoop and Junior reached the top of the fissure ahead of them, the brown dragon turning upside down to loop her flight back into the crevice. Junior’s scream filled the canyon.

  Reecah gaped, expecting Junior to tumble from Swoop’s back but somehow, he hung on. Dreading Lurker would imitate Swoop’s dangerous tactics she adjusted her grip not a moment too soon. Reecah’s breath caught in her throat. Lurker hadn’t bothered waiting until they cleared the crevice.

  Leathery wings snapping in the wind created by the extreme manoeuvre, Reecah feared she was choking Lurker but couldn’t help herself. It wasn’t until they dove straight down at the canyon floor that she realized there hadn’t been a need to hang on so tight. The force created had proven enough to keep her in place.

  Afraid to look over her shoulder with the ground rushing up to meet them, she worried the extreme flying tactic may have caused her to lose her gear.

  The scene below rushed up to meet her. Swoop spread her wings, and righted herself; landing heavily in the middle of the combatants. Junior leaped from her back, drawing his sword before his feet hit the ground.

  Five creatures, each bigger than the dragons, turned their attention on Swoop and Junior. The carcasses of three more lay twisted and burnt on the sandblasted ground between them. Junior cowered beside the remains of one of the creatures; its open pincer as tall as he.

  “What are those things?” Reecah shouted into the rushing wind.

  Lurker hit the ground hard, taking up a position behind the slugs. “Never seen one before. Stay on my shoulders in case I feel the need to…hey!”

  Reecah wasn’t about to leave Junior and Devius alone defending against such atrocities. Dropping to the ground in a crouch, she pulled her bow free. A quick step across the weapon’s arch, she bent the bow around her thigh and strung it—notching an arrow before she stood to face the nearest slug.

  Two of the five slugs turned their massive bodies, exposing horizontally closing mandibles beneath multi-faceted eyes that rotated on the end of thin stalks. Sloshing accompanied their movement; a trail of milky-white sludge left in their wake.

  Revulsion shivered through Reecah, her notched arrow trembling against the side of her bow. They looked like a cross between scorpions and slugs. She released a poorly aimed arrow—the shaft striking a raised pincer and deflecting uselessly to the gooey trail beside it.

  Lurker positioned himself between her and the scorpion slug, rearing with spread wings—his jagged-toothed jaws wide open, emitting a fearsome roar.

  The scorpion slug advanced on Lurker surprisingly fast considering its sloth-like appearance; pincers darting out to snap at his exposed underside.

  Reecah ran to the canyon wall to get around Lurker and find a clear shot. Her arrow shattered harmlessly off the side of the scorpion slug’s armoured head.

  Swoop roared on the far side of the creatures facing her and Junior. The brown dragon leapt into the air and crashed into the middle beast sliding toward Junior. Gnashing and clicking resounded across the canyon floor as dragon teeth and pincers tore at exoskeletal armour and scales.

  Swoop shrieked, raising her head high to bury her fangs into the scorpion slug’s neck—twisting and rending flesh.

  The creatures on either side of Swoop reared up on segmented bodies and fell on Swoop’s exposed back.

  Junior shouted something incoherent as he charged into the fray.

  Reecah let her guard down, fearing for Junior, and barely sidestepped the scorpion slug that had turned away from Lurker and charged at her. Its pincers skewered the wall; fragments of rock popping in their powerful clutches. It twisted its head, opening its mandibles wide and came at her, but its body suddenly jerked backward.

  Lurker clamped dagger-sized teeth into the scorpion slug’s tail; thick neck muscles wrenching the creature away from Reecah.

  Her back against the canyon wall, shock immobilized her. Only her vision and rapid breathing defied the paralyzing fear gripping her after barely surviving the hideous creature’s attack.

  The scorpion slug curved its thick midsection and brought its pincers to bear on Lurker.

  Lurker jumped sideways and twisted, avoiding a strike from the creature’s bulbous, spike-tipped tail—one of his emerald eyes staring at the stinger.

  A scream of warning tried to force its way through Reecah’s terror, but her voice wouldn’t come. All she could do was watch as the second scorpion slug advanced on Lurker.

  Several stones cascaded down the opposite rock face, followed by a white flash that dropped from an unknown height. Great paws outstretched, Fleabag dropped onto the second scorpion slug’s head, her mouth closing around one of the creature’s eye stalks.

  The affected scorpion slug emitted an eerie shriek, its body convulsing and bucking to rid it of the offending lioness. Fleabag’s front claws dug deep into the stalk and tore at it with scrabbling hind feet.

  Fleabag’s intervention severed Reecah’s immobilizing fear. The lioness’ attack shed light into how she might be able to inflict damage on the beasts. Nocking an arrow, she took a couple of steadying breaths and drew the bowstring. Sighting an eye stalk on the creature engaged with Lurker, she waited a moment to ensure an errant arrow wouldn’t hit her dragon friend, and let loose.

  The scorpion slug opened its mandibles to wrap them around Lurker’s neck but suddenly twitched sideways with a blood-curdling screech and dropped to the canyon floor, writhing in agony. Reecah’s arrow had buried itself to the fletches; its pointed metal tip coated with a strip of flesh protruding from the far side.

  Releasing the creature’s tail, Lurker flipped his enormous body through the air with cat-like dexterity and fell upon the creature’s neck where its segmented body met its head. Mouth clamped tight, his head twisted violently, ripping the creature’s throat out.

  Milky goo spurted from the wound. The length of the creature’s body spasmed briefly and fell still—a growing puddle of ooze splayed around its neck, slowly seeping into the ground.

  Two detonations rattled the walls. Cascades of fine debris filtered to the battlefield.

  Reecah ran away from the wall, barely escaping a boulder bigger than her head as it smashed against the ground and split. She scrambled around the fallen scorpion slug Lurker had dispatched to get a better look at the one Fleabag attacked.

  The creature wailed and thrashed in the lion
’s grip, but it was obvious Fleabag was no match for the colossal beast. It tried to snap at the lioness with its pincers, but wasn’t quick enough to match Fleabag’s agility.

  Reecah notched an arrow, holding back her shot as Lurker reared and snapped at the scorpion slug’s neck. Her eyes grew wide with horror. Just as Lurker’s mouth tore into the scorpion slug, the creature’s tail sprung forward and stung Fleabag in the back.

  Fleabag buckled beneath the blow, a pitiful mewl escaping her mouth as she dropped to the ground in a tangle of legs, landing on her side. She struggled to get to her feet but her hind legs wouldn’t respond. Dropping to her side, her pain-laced eyes caught Reecah’s for the briefest of moments. Her twitching hind quarters dropped to the ground dragging the rest of her body with it. Staring blankly at the canyon wall, she went still.

  The ground shook beneath Reecah’s feet. An ear-piercing shriek reverberated off the canyon walls. Beyond the dead bodies of the two scorpion slugs, Swoop rose to her hind legs and shrieked again, her face covered in milky slime.

  Dirty sword held high, Junior appeared between the creatures Lurker had dispatched, the fear in his eyes turning to relief as they fell on Reecah. He started toward her but stopped.

  A cry of despair marked Devius’ approach.

  The old wizard dropped to his knees and shook Fleabag’s shoulder, softly calling her name—his strong voice breaking as he fell over the white lion’s body. “Oh, Fleabag. You can’t die on me.”

  Reecah tried to smile at Junior to let him know she was glad he was okay, but it wouldn’t come. She squeezed his hand and stood before Fleabag; tears dripping onto the cat’s large forepaws. Unable to speak, she knelt and rubbed Devius’ back.

  Her eyes caught the slow approach of the large woman, presumably the one Fleabag had referred to as Nelly.

  Nelly mouthed, ‘Dead?’

  Reecah nodded. Unable to hold Nelly’s pained stare, Reecah focused on Fleabag’s golden eyes. The lioness had fought to save her at Headwater Sanctum, and she was sure that if the cat had not intervened when she did today, Lurker would now be dead.

  Her eyes grew wide.

  She found Lurker attending to Swoop’s many wounds; blood streaming from several places on the brown dragon’s body—the worst wound appearing where the underside of her neck met her chest.