by L L Vickery
“I want you kids to pay close attention.” Rein stopped just outside the mouth of the cave.
“We really aren’t kids.” Luc rolled his eyes.
“Just listen,” Bram grumbled.
“I am going in first. I want Cassandra in the middle. And Bram I want you to bring up the rear.” Rein shouted orders. “You have all got daggers, get them out and get them ready to use. Giants are big go for the Achilles tendon and they’ll go down hard. Any questions?”
“Yeah,” Luc said with a naive and confused look on his face. “What is an Achilles tendon?”
Rein shook his head. His face went blank and he turned around and walk into the cave.
“What?” Luc asked, “It’s a legitimate question.”
Bram laughed then asked, “You know that tender spot at the back of your ankle, the one just above your heel?”
“Yeah, at least I think I know what you mean,” Luc said trying to keep pace with the others. They were walking a little more staggered than before but mostly inline.
“Slice across it and the giant will fall,” Bram said matter-of-factly.
“How will that help?” Luc asked looking confused again.
“No one can walk once that is cut.” Lux chuckled.
“But it’s an ice giant. Won’t that just shave off a chunk of ice?” Luc asked.
Dana doubled over in laughter. “You think it’s made of ice?”
Luc’s face turned bright red and he sulked in the back next to Bram. Cassandra slowed her pace to let him catch up. She stuck her hand out behind her back and Luc took hold of it. The warmth from the sparks between them comforted him.
“When we get inside, take the first corridor,” Cassandra shouted ahead to Rein. Then she smiled at Luc.
The cave gave shelter from the snow and blustery cold. The further in they walked the less ice hung from the ceiling in long crystal shards. It looked to Luc like an Ice palace, the walls were covered in blue-hued ice that looked like mirrored glass.
Lux hooves slipped on the icy floor but it didn’t stop him from pressing on. When they have turned down a corridor to the left the ice ended and the temperature was a balmy sixty-five degrees. He didn’t have to worry about slipping on ice any longer but something much worse.
A group of three ice giants was gathered around a small fire minding their own business. Two of them had their backs to Rein. The one that could see him stood up fast, his head brushed the top of the cave. His eyes bulged and a grin spread across his face. He roared and the other two turned around.
One wore a bone helmet on his head with ram horns sticking out the top. They all had on clothes made of animal hide and boots made of fur. Luc was in awe of their sheer size. He knew they’d be big but nothing prepared him for this.
“Leave that sweet little nymph for me, brothers.” The giant in the middle laughed.
“I could sure go for a leg of that little lamb.” One said licking his lips. Lux assumed he must be talking about him feared he might fall from the ice and his crooked leg.
Chapter 8
Rein took a step back. “Run,” He said over his shoulder. His heart slammed against his ribs. Sweat popped from his forehead.
Everyone behind him just stood there, frozen in fear. Their bodies unwilling to do what their instincts were screaming at them to do, run. Rein held his dagger out in front of himself and took another step back.
He looked back over his shoulder expecting everyone to be gone but they were still standing there like statues on display outside his mother’s home. Their mouths open and their eyes as big ass dinner plates with their faces white as ghosts.
“Run,” He screamed at them and turned and ran as fast as he could back to the mouth of the cave.
The other two giants stood and chased after them. Even if the little ones could run fast enough or go down another corridor a smaller corridor, the giants would be able to follow from the noise they made.
“Looks like we might have enough meat for dinner, boys.” One of the giants said, his voice echoing throughout the cave.
“Don’t let em’ get away.” One of the others said.
Shards of ice fell near the mouth of the cave stabbing deep into the ground as the Giants ran. Each footstep shook the ground bringing the icicles from the ceiling like swords narrowly missing the small group.
They dodged the ice but it was no use, their path was blocked. They may have escaped one death only to succumb to another.
“Daggers at the ready.” Rein shouted. “Stand your ground, and remember what I said.”
The giants stopped running when they saw the small group with their backs against the icy prison. “You didn’t think it was going to be that easy to get away from us, did you?”
Rein let out a war cry that would have made his father proud. He had never been in a fight like this before but he knew he couldn’t back down even as his feet slid around on the ice.
Dana used the slippery surface to her advantage. She skated across the slick surface letting the ice do all the work. Once her momentum was going she just had to stop running and she could slide the rest of the way.
Her dagger was pointed straight out and she was heading for the giant with the bone helmet. Her blade stabbed through the animal skin that covered his legs and jabbed into his meaty flesh.
“Ouch, you little bitch. That stung.” He reached out to swat at her but missed.
Pleased with herself Dana watch the trickle of blood run down the side of the giant’s boot. She took another run at the giant this time hoping to slice through his leg rather than just stab it.
The others were doing the same, sliding along the ice slashing at the giant’s legs. The Giants desperately trying to catch their slippery foes. Their feet slipping and sliding around on the ice making it difficult for them to stay upright.
Dana stabbed into the giant’s leg again. This time she didn’t pull the blade back out but pulled down, creating a massive gash through the giant’s thick calf.
The giant swung his hand down as if he were swatting away an annoying fly. It missed Dana but just barely. The wind the giant had created by this movement was enough to lift Dana from her feet and throw her smack into the wall. Her head hit hard and she passed out.
Lux watch in horror and scream at the top of his lungs. The giant moved too fast and his feet slipped out from underneath him. He landed on his back knocking the wind from his lungs.
Lux seized the opportunity. His eyes never left Dana’s still body as he leaped into the air. His hooves came down hard on the giant’s chest with a thud. He raised his blade meaning to bring in down through the giant’s soft neck. He let out a war cry of his own as the anger filled every fiber of his being.
The ground quaked violently and Lux toppled from the giant’s chest. Out from the icy floor shot a something none of them had ever seen before.
The giants stopped swatting at the puny intruders and turned their attention to the beast that came from below. They knew this creature well.
It lived deep in the ground and only came to the surface during times of great disturbance. Rein knew the legend of this creature but never believed the stories.
A type of worm called the juveler orm that burrowed deep below the earth, so large it created all of the caves. It fed on the fire and brimstone of hell and nothing could destroy it. Its skin was coated in a thick layer of diamonds making it impossible for any blade to penetrate.
“The Scirowr” The giant yelled.
Rein’s dagger gave off a golden glow when the Scirowr surfaced. The magical glow took him by surprise but he thought the glow might mean that the dagger’s magic would somehow work to defeat the Scirowr.
He ran at the Scirowr screaming, the dagger bounced off the diamonds as he brought it down in a slicing motion. He raised it again this time meaning to stab into it. A single diamond broke free from the surface of the Scirowr but that didn’t cause any noticeable damage. The dagger continued its useless glow.
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nbsp; The Scirowr still partially in the hole it had created opened its mouth and let out a high-pitched screech much like the sonar of a bat. The sound vibrated the walls and it lunged a tentacle with a mouth full of teeth in the direction of one of the giants.
The giant punched at the tentacle causing the Scirowr to pull it back. The other two giants punched at the head of the Scirowr hoping to send it back to the depths it had come from. Rein continued stabbing at the Scirowr and small diamonds broke free and fell to the ground.
“Help us,” Rein shouted to the rest of the group. “Don’t just stand there. Maybe if we can get through to its skin we can hurt it.”
Lux ran to Dana, she was breathing but still not moving. He patted her cheek and pushed the hair from her face.
“Please wake up Danallis. Don’t leave me.” He cried.
The Scirowr let out another sonar screech and swung the tentacle around knocking Bram to the ground. His dagger’s edge cut into the tentacle and the Scirowr pulled back screaming it dropped back down into the hole.
The Giants waited for a moment staring down into the gaping chasm. They panted trying to catch their breath. Rein stepped back further from the edge waiting to see what the Giants would do next.
“What the fuck was that thing?” Luc shouted, pacing in a circle, his hands on either side of his head. His breathing was labored and he felt sick.
“We don’t…”
The Scirowr sprang its head back out of the hole, the tentacle waving erratically in every direction. The giant with the bone helmet grabbed the tentacle and pulled with all his might ripping it from the Scirowr’s mouth.
The Scirowr disappeared into the deaths but its screams could be heard for miles of underground tunnels.
“We should go after it.” Rein shouted.
“No.” One of the giants shook his head.
“It’s hurt we should finish it.” Rein said.
“It’s not that easy.” The giant with the bone helmet whispered.
“If we work together maybe we can get rid of it.” Rein said.
“You don’t understand, there is no weapon that can get through those diamonds. Why are you even here? Why have you come to our cave?” The giant asked.
“There is a dwarven sword rumored to be here. It may or may not have magic. We need that sword.” Cassandra got close to the giant and locked her eyes with his.
“What makes you think this sword is here?” He asked.
“It's just a rumor. But you know what we’re talking about don’t you?” Her power of manipulation worked very well on the giant.
“Yes. It’s the one that burns.” The giant’s voice was soft and distant. “When we get close, the flames come and flesh turns to fire.”
“Tell me where it is.” Cassandra put a hand on the giant’s face.
“No,” The giant shook his head and blinked his eyes. “You’ll use it against us.”
Cassandra was able to lock eyes with him again. “No, we won’t, I promise. We want it to kill the Scirowr.”
“You’ll use it to kill the Scirowr?” The giant was deep in a trance.
“Yes. Tell us where it is.” Cassandra whispered.
“It is in the small room.” The giant said.
“Shut up,” One of the other giants shouted.
“Where is the small room?” Cassandra asked.
“We can’t go there. That’s where the Scirowr goes.” The giant said.
Cassandra broke her spell on the giant. “Give me your dagger.” She held her hand out to Rein.
Rein handed it over reluctantly. Cassandra walked over to Dana “Are you ok?”
Dana nodded and rubbed her head. Lux helped her to her feet. She was still a little wobbly from the blow to her head.
“Sounds like I missed all the excitement.” She laughed nervously.
“A lot of help you were,” Cassandra told Wolfie who was cowering and whimpering next to the wall.
As she walked back through the cave she felt a pull in her solar plexus. Much like a magnet, drawn to a scrap of metal. She continued on following the magnetic pull, lifting the dagger waiting for the return of the golden glow.
Cassandra had a hunch about that dagger. She thought at first the magic might show when its wielder was in danger. But that couldn’t be true. It would have shown up when they first saw the giants.
Perhaps it had something to do with the Scirowr. She remembered how it plucked at the diamonds on that hellish beast. It was strong, much stronger than any blade she had ever seen from the countless soldier that visited her father’s farm.
Then there was the magical glow. The glow that only showed itself when the Scirowr came. It must be a magic that shows you where the treasure is, this was the truth that she came to.
Just ahead was the corridor where the giants had been. The corridor she told Rein to go down. The one that almost got them killed. Still, there was no glow from the dagger.
The fire was still burning in that room where the giants were gathered. Cassandra glanced in as she passed, noticing for the first time the drawing on the wall.
Each step took her deeper into the cave and the deeper she got the warmer it was. The pull grew stronger with each step until it was so great she thought she might be sick.
The dagger began to glow a soft gold at first. As she moved closer to a small opening at the end of the main hall the brighter the glow became.
The opening was blocked most of the way by a pile of rocks. The hole was still big enough, just not big enough for the giants. With what lay in wait on the other side they fine with never going in there again.
Chapter 9
“It’s in there.” Cassandra pointed to the opening with the glowing dagger.
“Let’s go then,” Bram said as he lifted a foot onto the first large rock. “I wanna get this over with and get out of here.”
“Just a minute.” The giant with the skull helmet stopped Rein. “The Scirowr might be in there. It goes in there sometimes and we won’t be able to help you.”
“The sword is in there. If we can get to it we can kill that thing. But then we are taking it with us.” Rein put his foot down.
“Can I ask one thing of you?” The giant asked.
Rein nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
“There is a golden chalice inside with sapphires around the edge. Bring that chalice out with you if you can find it.” The giant pleaded, “Please if you can find it.”
Rein nodded again and climbed the rock wall to the top, to the small opening and squeezed through. The others were waiting for him inside the room.
He took a moment to look around the room. The floor was littered with gold coins and small jewels, swords, and shields. This was what was left of the giant’s treasure room.
“Start looking for the sword so we can get the hell outta here.” Rein moved the treasure with his foot. “And mind that damn hole.”
The hole was as large as the one the Scirowr made back at the mouth of the cave. Against the back wall was a pile of bones. To the best of Rein’s knowledge, they were the bone of animals, maybe deer and cattle. This was the Scirowr’s lair.
“Rein, check this out.” Bram lifted a broadsword from the pile of bones. “I this is it.”
The familiar scream of the Scirowr came from the tunnel below. Rein reached out and took the sword from Bram.
“My dagger,” Rein held his hand out. “let me have it.”
Cassandra gave it to him. “Maybe we should get outta here before it comes back?” she asked.
Dana was already climbing back up the rock wall with Lux close behind. The ground rumbled and the Scirowr shot up through the hole.
Rein charged at it with his dagger glowing in one hand and a flaming broadsword in the other. He stabbed at it with his dagger and brought the broadsword down in one swiping motion.
The flames of the sword sliced straight through the Scirowr cutting it in half. Rein panted breathlessly and his heart pounding like a hammer in his chest. The ste
nch of rotten meat wafted from the creature.
When he turned from it Rein saw the goblet the Giants wanted him to retrieve. He picked it up and climbed the rock wall fallowing his companions who were already through the opening.
“You did it? You killed the beast and got our goblet?” One of the giants asked.
“We did.” Rein handed the goblet to the giant.
“If ever our paths pass again we won’t forget this.” The giant with the bone skull said. “Our names are Grul Scul, and Vull and we are forever in your debt.”
“It’s nice to meet you even if you did mean to eat us at first. I am Rein and I thank you for this sword.” He raised it and flames leaped in the direction of the giants.
“Put it away before it burns us,” Grul growled.
Rein sheathed the sword and the flames went out as magically as they appeared.
“Let’s get going boss,” Bram said as he followed the others back toward the mouth of the cave.
“We do need to go.” Rein said. “But there is a wall of icicles in at the opening.”
“We’ll take care of that,” Scul said.
The path back down the mountain seemed less treacherous than on the way up. They had been in the cave for so long trying to get the sword that the sun was setting. They would need to move quickly if they hoped to stay in the abandoned cottage for the night.
“I can get us there,” Lux said. Once a satyr had been anywhere they could find their way back. Being a creature of the forest, he was able to make this way through the dark much easier than humans.
They found the cottage just as they left it. They put wood in the fireplace and Rein pulled out the sword thinking the flames could be used to start the fire. But there were no flames.
Rein put the sword away and Cassandra took over with the fire. She snapped her fingers and the fire blazed bright and warm.
Chapter 10
Cassandra was up early preparing breakfast for her new friends. She looked out through the hole in the wall that was once a shuddered window. Now just a remnant of wood hung there banging against the side of the cottage when the wind blew.
