34
Gushing wind blew salty ocean water at Rose’s face, biting at her with cold sharp teeth. A great battle of water raged before her as the sea thrashed against itself under the gray cloudy sky. Though Chryslaenor somehow kept her warm, goosebumps rose on her skin, and she shivered in spite of herself. As if gripping onto her deer swifen would stop the shivering, she clutched the sapling branches that wrapped around the swifen’s neck before branching upward to form large antlers.
The swifen was her first reminder of home and friends since being abducted, and its presence comforted her. Being able to summon and dismiss the creature was also a sign that she now had the tiniest bit of control over this nightmare. Saving the girl from the black lightning had taken all her effort, but it had also made her wonder what else she could do. Rose hadn’t thought it would happen, but her swifen had appeared when summoned, scaring the girl as she’d leaped forward to hug it. Rose reluctantly dismissed it to calm her, and was elated she could summon it again after seeing the kid to safety. If Chryslaenor was forcing her to a destination, the only way to end this was to get there as quickly as possible. With the sword as her guide, she’d ridden hard for the entire week, resting only when necessary.
After the long trek of endless trails, unkempt hair, dirty clothes, and tasteless meals, she found herself on this cold beach in front of the raging ocean. Rose could only imagine she was on some empty coastline in Unsel, or possibly Melkier. On foot, she had traveled south for days, but after summoning her bramble-and-flower-covered swifen, she had veered east. Finally, she’d found herself here, but for what purpose?
She looked down at her swifen, grateful it hadn’t decided to drag her across the dark, deep waters. Rose had been sitting and staring at the ocean long enough to be irritable. She was frustrated with waiting, and upset that Angst hadn’t shown up to rip this monster from her hand. This foci-thing was something he wanted, and he should do his job. Rose didn’t know why he wasn’t here, and it made her angry enough to punch someone in the face—someone like Angst.
She needed to stretch her legs, and dismounted her deer swifen awkwardly, dragging Chryslaenor over the top. Rose didn’t believe the swifen was alive but, in spite of herself, she petted several soft flowers on the creature’s back. The swifen nuzzled her as if it appreciated the attention, which made her wonder if there were more to it than sticks and flowers.
Chryslaenor slowly pulled Rose’s arm toward the sea. She rolled her eyes and reluctantly followed before stopping at the water’s edge. The wind blew so hard Rose was grateful for Chryslaenor as an anchor—any harder and she would become a flag. The waters were calming. In spite of the gusting wind, the waves were now lapping where moments before she’d seen only whitecaps. She looked across the ocean, squinting to see, trying to find what she was being forced to wait for.
There was a sloshy thud behind her. Rose tried to spin about, but Chryslaenor no longer seemed willing to budge. She craned her neck around to see an enormous green creature with a scaly head and large webbed ears. Swallowing back a scream, she continued fighting the giant sword to turn around with her. Her right hand was locked in fierce combat, and she was quickly tiring. This was no time for a meal. Or maybe it was.
“I swear, once I get this sword turned around,” she threatened, “you’re lunch!”
The monster reached for her with large slimy green arms. Its great muscles rippled as it gripped her beneath the shoulders and around her chest with cold, clammy hands. It flapped leathery wings, launching off muscular haunches into the air, lifting Rose and a reluctant Chryslaenor from the safe ground. This time she did scream.
The gargoyle used the chaotic winds to gain height and momentum, diving back and forth with jerky sudden movements. The longer they flew, the heavier the sword became, and Rose’s scream of panic became yelps of pain. Chryslaenor did not enjoy flying and weighed so heavily on her arm that willpower was the only thing keeping it in its socket. With her free hand, Rose pushed helplessly against the monster’s arms as they crushed the breath from her lungs.
“Put me down!” she screamed.
The panicked abduction continued, and Rose gripped her right arm with her left to keep the sword from completely ripping it off. The creature took a final sharp turn before diving fast toward the ocean. Her insides lifted, and she swallowed hard, dreading the thought of vomiting up the contents of an empty stomach. The gargoyle finally landed with a bone-jarring thump, setting her on a leathery gray surface. Rose tried maneuvering Chryslaenor to point it at the creature, but the blade didn’t move.
Rose stood on a squishy island far enough from land that she could barely see shore. She tried walking away from the gargoyle, toward the edge for a better look—hoping to figure out a way back—but, once again, Chryslaenor wouldn’t budge. She fought and strained until the sword finally moved, sinking into the ground with a burp. Green ooze bubbled from the incision and, with a loud moan, the island moved. The gargoyle appeared to laugh in silence, pressing its hands against rippling stomach muscles.
As the gargoyle turned away from the shore, a dozen thin, hairy tentacles reached out of the water to slap at the annoying foci. Rose screamed a curse as she jumped behind the wide blade, barely escaping the dark green appendages. The gargoyle stopped laughing when a tentacle landed on its shoulder. Immediately, the other seeking tentacles stopped their search, darting to the intruder.
The gargoyle roared in panic as thick hairs sank into its arms and legs. It struggled and fought, but its enormous muscles could barely move as the thin tentacles continued sinking their hungry feelers into the green-scaled body.
“Sucks, doesn’t it!” Rose yelled bravely from behind Chryslaenor.
The gargoyle’s wings spread wide and, with a mighty leap, it launched itself away from the living island. Its final attempt at freedom was stopped a mere foot above the leathery ground. The creature screamed in silence as the tentacles ripped it apart. Green innards sprayed in every direction, covering Rose’s right arm and slapping her in the face.
“That was...the most...disgusting thing yet!” she said, hyperventilating.
She kept her right eye shut, as it felt completely covered in goop. Rose reached up to her wipe her face, and stared at her shaking hand. It was covered in mucky bits of gargoyle. She was only able to flick off the larger pieces, and her clothes were too slimy to wipe her hand clean. She felt completely violated and out of control.
Unable to stop herself, Rose began to cry. “Please, please stop. Angst? Dallow? Anyone, please!”
A few feet away, the dark gray ground opened to reveal a red oval. Seven or eight feet across, the oval was glossy wet, pointed at both edges, and enough to distract Rose. Her crying slowed and she took a deep calming breath.. She felt embarrassed at the outburst, but it was all just too much. With her free hand, Rose did her best to wipe green gargoyle slime from her face and her long red hair.
She wanted to move closer to the giant red opal—which was horrifically beautiful, somehow—but she feared wiggling Chryslaenor would invite more tentacles. Instead, Rose leaned forward.
The dark gray expanse surrounding her became larger...much larger...as the island lifted out of the water. More red ovals appeared along its edge—so many that Rose lost count. She looked at each one as the island went faster and faster. Her chest heaved, and she was hyperventilating again as the world spun and lurched around her.
Rose locked her legs defiantly. Staring ahead, she watched the ovals simultaneously blink.
35
There was a terrible crunching sound followed by muffled screams as stragglers from the Rehmans’ Charge were crushed under the dragon’s landing.
“Hold here,” Crloc yelled, pulling a black broadsword from his back. “There is only one. Kill it fast and bone it!”
Angst reared his swifen around and did a quick check to confirm his friends were safe. Tarness and Hector had already dismounted and were at the ready with swords and shields. Dallow held
his staff to one side, muttering to himself in Acratic.
“Keep your people back,” Crloc barked. “Watch! We do this without magics!”
Angst briefly inspected the throng of soldiers before finally laying eyes on the dragon. The reddish brown lizard was larger than the bridge was wide. Hard bark-like scales armored the dragon from tail to belly and up its long neck to a rigid triangular head. It flailed about in pain, tearing at its chest and stomach with sharply-clawed talons. Enormous leathery wings flapped helplessly, creating a storm of snow, and dust, and leaves. Bursts of lava shot from the creature’s mouth, splashing the ground with wet fire and dissolving everything it touched. This close, the dragon was a vision of horrific beauty, as awe-inspiring and dangerous as a volcano or tornado.
Dragons were creatures of legend, of story. Fear overtook him, tightening his throat, and Victoria once again gripped his hand in panic, not knowing if she should run, or scream, or hide. Angst tore his eyes away for a brief moment to find his friends panic-stricken. In all their adventures, none had seen a real, live dragon. Tarness stood with his jaw wide open, looking ready to drop his shield. Hector leaned against Dallow to steady himself, while Dallow shook his head in amazement, too shocked to categorize or catalog the great beast.
The dragon arched its back in a sudden, comical dancing leap, roared one final time then flopped onto its side, where it remained, unmoving. A hush fell over them, leaving only the sound of the bridge music and rushing water. The Rehmans’ Charge soldiers looked to Crloc for guidance. He nodded to his second, silently urging Kansel to investigate. Kansel sniffed and wiped his nose before inching forward to poke the creature with his longbow.
“Looks like you didn’t have to do it at all,” Tarness called out, “with or without magic.”
“Something is wrong here,” Kansel stated, tapping at the creature’s stomach. He leaned in to investigate. “I hear something.”
“Kansel, step away,” Crloc commanded. “Without the armor...”
Kansel looked down at his dark leather armor and shrugged, ignoring Crloc’s command. The dragon’s belly stretched and contorted, pressing outward then pulling back. The red scaly stomach and chest writhed like a sack of snakes. Liquid fire dripped from the monster’s mouth, falling to the wet, snowy ground in angry hisses.
“Maybe it’s pregnant?” Kansel shrugged as he turned back to Crloc for guidance.
“He’s in danger,” Victoria whispered.
“Get out of there, Kansel!” Angst yelled.
“I give the commands here, coward,” Crloc snapped. “Make sure it’s dead!”
Kansel turned back to the dragon, poking it one last time. The stomach stopped moving, and he stepped on top of the dragon as if it were a hill. As he notched a black-tipped arrow and aimed at the creature eye, there was a loud, slurpy pop. Kansel screamed in pain as liquid fire sprayed out of the dragon’s belly. Fortunately, the scream was cut short as the fire burned completely through the man’s face and chest, and he collapsed to the ground.
“No!” Crloc yelled, running toward his friend. He gripped the remains of a leg and pulled what was left of Kansel away from the dragon. “What is this madness?”
Long, thin claws poked through the dragon’s stomach. They stretched and pushed until the small human-like face of a gamlin peered through the opening. The creature fell out of the dragon’s belly, covered in liquid fire, like a grotesque birthing. Another gamlin crawled out, followed by two more. Beady red eyes blinked behind the liquid fire as they inspected the soldiers curiously, brushing off the lava like a cat cleaning itself.
“What are these creatures?” asked Crloc.
“They’re gamlin,” Dallow remarked. “Until now, I would’ve said they’re mostly harmless, except that they’re nigh invulnerable.”
“Harmless?” Crloc roared. He dropped the remains of his fallen friend and pointed. “This is harmless?”
Crloc stormed up to the largest gamlin and swung wide with his sword. Rather than being split in two, the gamlin gripped onto the blade and began clawing its way toward the hilt. Crloc swung his sword back and forth before throwing it down and swatting at the creature with his shield. The gamlin, still covered in its hot dragon innards, leaped toward the troopof soldiers.
“As far as I know, gamlin can only be damaged by magic,” Angst warned his friends.
“This is going to be a massacre,” Tarness said.
“Do something!” Tori pleaded.
The moment his hands began to glow, Angst wanted to vomit. He fought the emptiness and swallowed back the acid that shot from his belly and burned his throat. Two soldiers were already dead, their armor ripped to shreds by gamlin claws, hot dragonbreath still burning their flesh. A smallish gamlin horted loudly as it jumped over the heads of soldiers and leaped at Victoria. She dropped to the ground and spun about, expertly batting the creature away with her two thin-bladed swords, sending it flying into the air. Angst caught the gamlin in a small air shield to keep it from attacking her again. It hovered over everyone, frantically scratching at its trap.
“No magic!” Crloc marched toward Angst.
Tarness stepped in front of Crloc to block his path, but the angry Captain Guard didn’t even slow down. He slammed his shield against Tarness’s chest and pushed. Tarness’s lips curled in anger, and he swung his sword at his opponent’s chest. There was an enormous crack as his sword broke against Crloc’s blackened shield. Tarness roared in fury. Throwing his sword aside, he began beating Crloc with his own shield. Both men stood their ground.
“Impossible!” Crloc yelled at Tarness.
Tarness continued smashing at the large man with his shield, slowly inching Crloc away from his friends. Angst shook violently from exhaustion as he focused on the air shield that trapped the first gamlin. He willed it to float over a second gamlin gnawing on the back of a soldier’s head then expanded it to encompass both creatures. They rolled within the bubble, fighting and scratching with their long claws. His eyes narrowed in concentration and sweat dripped from his forehead like he was sick with fever.
“I need to get to the others, fast,” Angst yelled, panting heavily.
“On it,” Hector said with a grin.
Hector dropped his sword and shield. He leaped back, grabbed Dallow’s staff and dove into the fray. Hector pried the nearest gamlin from its quarry—a helpless soldier whose chestpiece was ripped to shreds. The creature popped up into the air, and Hector batted it higher with the end of the staff. Angst captured the third gamlin in his trap.
There was a loud crash as Tarness and Crloc’s shields met. Deadlocked and unmoving, both men grunted with the effort. Crloc punched Tarness’s shoulder with his sword arm. Tarness winced but remained steadfast. Angst glanced at the two men and, seeing the fierce determination in Tarness’s eyes, was amazed that Crloc didn’t move.
“Dallow, can you get the other two?” Angst yelled.
Analyzing Angst’s air shield and the floating gamlin, Dallow reached out with one arm. He took a deep breath, his brow furrowing in concentration, and a fourth gamlin floated high into the air.
“Nice work!” Angst said. “We need the last one, Hector.”
In an impressive display of acrobatics, Hector bounded across the road to land beside the final gamlin. Angst and Dallow moved in as the soldiers scurried away from the dragon carcass, making a clear path for the magic-wielders. The lone gamlin ripped and tore at the bloody leg of a soldier, easily shredding dark armor and the flesh it protected. When Hector kicked it with his boot, the surprised animal spun about, launching itself at him. Hector swung, catching the creature on the end of the staff. It gripped tight, but Hector kept spinning. He stopped suddenly, propelling it high into the air. Dallow captured the gamlin in his shield.
“Now what do we do?” Dallow asked.
“I don’t know how to kill them without my sword,” Angst said, “so over the edge.”
They inched their way toward the dragon carcass, which blocke
d the path to the cliff. The gamlin clawed desperately against the invisible shield as Angst and Dallow pushed their air traps as far as they could. When they were close enough to feel heat from the dragon’s body, the shields hovered just beyond the cliff edge. Angst nodded and both men let go. The gamlin fell, their guttural cries quickly lost to the bridge music and raging waters far below. Angst immediately collapsed in a heap of exhaustion. Victoria scrambled forward and dropped to a knee, resting her hand on his head.
After several moments of catching his breath, he looked up at Dallow.
“Not bad?” Dallow asked with a smirk, brushing bright blond locks from his green eyes.
“You’re amazing!” Angst said with a smile. “Are you hiding a foci?”
“Dallow, duck!” Victoria yelled.
A gamlin covered in liquid fire leaped from the dead dragon’s stomach. Without hesitation, Hector batted at the creature. His staff landed with a splash, and hot fiery goo flew at Dallow’s face. Dallow screamed in pain and dropped to his knees, clawing at his eyes. The gamlin grunted and horted as it was tossed over the edge of the cliff.
Tarness punched Crloc in the head with all his might, knocking the man to the ground. He spun about and ran to Dallow. Angst scrambled to his oldest friend. He threw off his gloves and wiped desperately at Dallow’s eyes, brushing hot liquid from his friend’s face and burning his fingers. Angst could smell the singed flesh of his hands and Dallow’s face and eyes. He continued wiping away the hissing slag, rubbing it off his hands on the snowy ground until the dragonbreath was gone.
“Please be okay, Dallow,” Angst begged. “Please be okay.”
“I need water,” Hector cried out to the soldiers. “Now!”
Angst Box Set 1 Page 60
