by W.O. Cassity
***
The crackling of splintering wood thunderously sounded behind, the wind picked up against their back, and the stench became overbearing. A heavy grumble joined the chorus of destruction which followed in their wake, joined by a bone chilling, glee filled cackle.
Adam couldn’t stop himself as he faltered and stumbled to a halt to see what horror the forest was spewing toward them. His mind refused to comprehend the monstrosity his eyes were reflecting into his mind. It was a humanoid, beast-like creature, which stood almost three times the height of a normal man with brutish arms of banded muscle the size of trees. Dirt and filth clung to its thick, calloused skin, and it wore large, fur clothing. That was not what was terrifying about this gargantuan and grotesque being though. What made it those things was the grimace of hatred and the maddened cries emanating from the maw of the beast’s second head. The caked on matted hair of the two-headed beast clung together in a tangled heap resembling a worn out fishing net draped over both of their heads.
Talia quickly realized Adam had stopped to see the terror bearing down on them, and her eyes took in the ghoulish appearance of the ettin. Its two heads surveyed the rocky clearing, getting a feel for the layout. The ettin hadn’t seemed all that bad when she had read a brief description about them in one of her father’s books. Either the author of said book had not been nearly as intimidated as she was, or he had never actually seen one first hand, for this grotesque monster was truly a daunting sight to behold.
“Adam we have to move!” Talia cried as she tore at Adams arm. Following Talia’s lead, he turned and ran. He could see Donadeir had not looked back, not even once, and had almost made it to the stream crossing.
“If we can make it to cave, we can defend ourselves.” Adam yelled to Talia’s back.
“My thoughts exactly!” Talia yelled back over her shoulder. “Run faster!”
Talia’s thoughts raced with her father’s training as she tried to hold her fear in check. The ettin’s size and strength were a clear advantage, but as she reflected on the expressions of their two faces, she concluded the heads did not think or function in unison.
Behind them, one of the heads growled in their direction with a loud, deep voice, “Ahhhh!” as if it had just discovered what it had been seeking. A second shrillish voice joined in erratically crying out, “Meat, Meat, Meat!” Adam couldn’t help but think the second voice sounded much a like an angry bird chirping whereas the first voice had sounded more like the grinding of rocks sliding downhill.
Talia heard the voices as well, two personalities she discerned, trapped in one body. This would be no different from confronting two aggressors who relied on one another to fight in tandem. The most daunting concern which weighed upon her mind was the large beast’s strength. She could feel the earth pounding beneath the weight of the large creature as it gave pursuit. With the way it was gaining on them, she knew its speed was going to be a big problem as well.
Knowing the creature was pursuing them, Adam glanced back to see how close it was. The large brute’s right head was focused on running down its prey, while its other head eagerly looked around, smacking its lips in glee, anticipating it was about to eat.
Donadeir had finally made it to the stream and was carefully stepping across to get to the western bank. Talia knew it was good for Dona to make it across first, and since she was more experienced in battle, Adam should go second so she could buy them more time to reach the cave. Talia’s mind was clear and focused as she slightly slowed her pace to let Adam get ahead. She used her free hand to push him forward letting him know he should be the next in line to cross.
As Donadeir shifted his weight to make the long jump to the biggest boulder, he realized he would be lost if he made it across and his friends did not. The thought was terrifying and caused his steps to falter. That one second of hesitation allowed fear and self-doubt to overwhelm poor Donadeir, and he panicked.
Adam watched as Donadeir started to leap across the stream. He stared in disbelief as Donadeir’s arms began to swing wildly back. Donadier lost his balance when he tried to stop himself from leaping to the next boulder. He knew there was no way he could reach Donadeir if he couldn’t manage to recover on his own. Adam reached out for him anyway, knowing his attempt was futile as he watched his brother, his friend, fall off balance and crash into the raging waters below.
Talia’s mind adjusted to their situation quickly, she knew trying to reach the cave at this juncture would not help her keep her friends alive. The water was too swift and the currents too strong for Donadeir to reach safety on his own. If the deeper currents didn’t manage to drown him, then their merciless pull crashing him into the jagged rocks downstream would certainly be the end of him.
The only thing Talia could do was hope the creature was too stupid in both of its heads to realize its own overconfidence brought on by them fleeing to safety. Her father had told her sometimes you needed to follow your gut and not your head. Talia’s gut told her to intimidate her opponent, however she realized she was merely the size of a small dog compared to this gargantuan creature. She prayed her bark would be bigger than her bite.
“Jump, Adam!” Talia cried out as he stopped on the boulders in the middle of the stream.
Adam was fortunate he could hear her voice over the roar of the two-headed creature, the sounds of the water crashing against the rocks, and the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears at the fear of what had happened to his blood brother, Donadeir. He leapt over and continued to force himself toward the safety of the western bank.
Donadeir’s body shuddered as the currents of the stream pulled him below the rushing surface, and the cold, frigid water stole away all of his warmth. Donadeir’s back muscles groaned against him as he felt his back bounce, drag, and bounce once more against the bedrock at the bottom of the stream. Regardless of how rapidly Donadeir’s world spun from his control, he still needed to know what happened to his friends, so he forced his eyes to remain open beneath the icy water. White water and red skylight from the last glows of the sun setting danced in his eyes as he once again bounced against the bottom, knocking what was left of his breath out of him.
Talia watched as Adam’s feet landed on the other bank. She could feel the ettin’s hot, stench-filled breath upon the back of her neck as she began to cross the stream herself. She knew her next leap would need to be a lot more than a leap of faith as she jumped to the largest boulder of their crossing and swung her body around holding her sword up defiantly in the air. Talia heaved with all the air her lungs could muster and unleashed a primordial scream which emanated from the depths of every fiber of her soul. Through faith and willpower, she inadvertently unleashed an ancient war cry known only to the Valkyrie.
Ooglef screamed in terror as the stringy little human girl’s shout unfurled across the clearing, breaking his obsessed focus on his dinner meal. Arlaff noted Ooglef’s panic and stopped himself before stepping into the stream to run down the two crumpets who were left after the big crumpet had gotten away. Arlaff turned to face his twin, who was tasked with looking out for unexpected danger during the hunt, waiting to see what Ooglef had discovered.
Talia felt the energy pulsing through her body. Her mind felt magical power, and she knew it came from her, but she did not understand what it meant. It was clear her cry had the impact she intended, for when the head on the left cried out, the right head, which seemed to have more control, halted to look upon its twin for answers.
A shrill sound reached Donadeir’s ears through the depths of the rushing waters, just as the current tried to press its way into his mouth. His lungs were burning, but Donadeir was still being pulled along the bottom of the stream, and he feared he might have injured his stomach. He could feel a heat growing deep in his abdomen. A heat the frigid waters just could not extinguish. He reached for the bedrock and pushed himself up as hard as he could as he stretched his neck out, reaching to break the stream’s surface. Momentary relief flooded
him as he broke the surface and took in a long, deep breath of fresh air. He looked back to where he had fallen and saw Talia standing her ground on the boulder in the middle of the stream with the brute standing over her before the relentless currents drug him under once more.
Adam’s senses became sharp and aware as he turned and saw Talia standing tall against their adversary. In spite of their obvious disadvantages in this fight, he felt confident and reassured they would overcome this situation even though a small voice deep inside of him asked him if he was kidding himself. It was as if hearing Talia’s war cry had clearly changed the advantage in this predicament, filling him with courage that wasn’t there before. Adam could clearly see the beast’s confusion. It would have been a waste for him to let this moment pass without pressing their advantage. He reached for a rock the size of a walnut and flung it with all of his strength at the stupid looking head. It hit with a satisfying thunk, and the beast shrieked.
Ooglef was hit in his right eye. It was Ooglef who had control of the left arm, and he quickly brought it up and cupped the damage from the other squishy’s throw. He could not stop himself from crying out in pain once more, even though he knew he would anger Arlaff.
Talia saw Adam take the initiative, and she agreed this was their opportunity to take the offensive. Seeing how the dumber head had reacted, she gathered the right head didn’t have complete control over the entire body. It was a weakness they could exploit. Talia leapt back across the large gap, gaining ground on the ettin until she was just close enough to strike while it was distracted.
The creature wasn’t wearing anything on its right foot, which was the closest part of the ettins body to her. Talia slashed her weapon just under the beast’s toenail, opening a gash across the large beast’s foot. She quickly leapt to her defensive position back on the other side.
Arlaff was still trying to figure out what Ooglef had seen when he noticed something bounce from Ooglef’s eyes and heard the weakling whimper in pain. Annoyed beyond measure, Arlaff was ready to hit his loud mouthed twin with his club, just to shut him up, when he felt the searing pain of something biting his big toe. Arlaff knew the crumpet had bit him hard, so he brought his club down quick and heavy in an attempt to end her fast. He hadn’t realized the puny girl had already moved out the way. When his club came down, his own foot reeled in pain under his brutal strike.
Donadeir came to the surface again and saw Talia dropping back away from the beast’s feet, a blow nearly clipping her as she moved out of the way. He also realized he couldn’t see Adam from his disadvantaged point of view. Donadeir knew if he didn’t get out of this current soon, he would die, as well as his friends. He had absolutely no intention whatsoever of allowing this to happen. He could feel the anger and determination building within him as the current claimed him once again, dragging him down under the water.
Adam’s confidence grew with the knowledge his throw had given Talia enough time to strike. He hoped he could retrieve his fishing spear; he could possibly assist her in bringing the beast down or running it off. He also knew sprinting to the cave to retrieve his spear could cause them to lose the opportunity they had gained. He couldn’t take the risk, so instead he resolved to keep the left head as distracted as possible. Adam unleashed a full out assault against the dimwitted head by throwing stones as fast and hard as he could manage.
Ooglef knew Arlaff would blame him for getting hurt. How was he supposed to know sometimes the food fights back? Ooglef decided he wanted to help even though Arlaff would not approve, but as he tried to lower his arm, the one with the rocks was pelting him unrelentingly. Ooglef was angry now too, but he was also afraid of not protecting his eyes. Being hit in the eyeball with rocks hurt much more than Arlaff slapping him. He looked down, trying to keep his eyes safe, and noticed the big rock next to them. The puny didn’t know Ooglef was a good shot neither. Ooglef dropped his arm suddenly and scooped up the boulder launching it straight at the irritating, rock-throwing puny.
Talia nearly missed getting back to safety as the brute attacked its own foot and she dodged out of harm’s way. Just as her father had taught her, she darted in and out using her smaller size against the much larger opponent. Of course, Talia couldn’t believe her father had ever imagined her facing an opponent of this giant size. As she dodged and wove, she watched rock after rock hit the ettin. Adam’s attacks clearly provided them with the opportunity to keep their opponent off balance. Talia was waiting for the other head to draw back its club so she could make another strike when a boulder the size of Donadeir was launched across the stream to where Adam was standing his ground.
Up until that very moment, Adam had believed they could win a victory and save Donadeir from the dangerous rapids. The boulder the other head had thrown was clearly meant for him, and as sure footed and quick as he was, he knew he would have better luck dodging a falling house. He made a split second decision and dove to the ground on his right as the hurled boulder clipped his exposed shoulder, spinning him around and briefly flinging him up into the air before he bounced back down to the ground once again. The pain raced down his shoulder and throughout his body as his ears rang loud enough to drown out all other sound. Adam’s eyes felt heavy as darkness threatened to take him into its inky depths. He looked to Talia once more as she looked back into his eyes. He could see her fear. He could hear his pains as if they were vibrations which rang throughout his body. Adam fell into darkness.
Talia knew she was the only one left. Even if her friends lived through this, it wasup to her to stop the ettin. She had never imagined fighting a beast with such strength before. It may be stupid and in conflict with itself, but it made up for its flaws with speed and strength. The ettin wanted to eat, and it was clear to her their resistance would not be enough to slow it down.
Her father taught her never to be overconfident in her abilities. He claimed for every undefeatable foe, there was another foe who could beat them out there in the world somewhere. Talia admitted to herself for a moment, she had let her pride in her skills get in her way, but just as Donadeir had so bravely risked his life to save Adam only a few short days ago, this was her time to put everything on the line to save her boys. There were no other options, even if she was a coward and fled, the ettin would run her down. Talia chose to die on her own terms and leapt forward to launch another attack.
Donadeir’s hands grasped for anything he could hold fast upon, as his fingers slipped from rock to rock. He was not going to allow himself to give in so easily. He remembered his lessons over the last few days about shifting his weight. Sometimes it wasn’t about where you stepped but how you stepped. Donadeir wanted to get to the western bank, and he knew his head was facing south as he was being drug away by the currents. It made sense that all he needed to do was kick out with his right leg against the rocky bottom of the stream to push himself to shore. Moments later, his hand grasped a stone that didn’t slip away. He held onto it with all his strength, but his body continued to flow with the current, twisting and swaying at the waters mercy. He reached again, and his other hand began to pull himself free of the ravenous undertow.
As Arlaff was still reeling from injuring himself and had raised his club up to examine the damage, Ooglef saw the female stringy lunging forward to make another attack. Ooglef was ready as he took control of their left foot and punted the little stringy over to the other side of the water. For once, Arlaff was relieved to see Ooglef take over the walking and kicking. Arlaff was clearly starting to lose interest in this meal, but now it may still be worth it.
Talia felt herself go weightless as her body flew through the air after the ettin’s large foot kicked her square in the chest. As she hit the hard stones, the impact made her sword fly from her hand, and she rolled along the ground. Her empty hand didn’t matter, though. The Fates could see her now, and no matter what was in store for her, they knew she had died with honor. Talia pushed herself up to her feet, feeling her ribs groan against her, as she tried to
lift her weight from the ground. Even though she didn’t have her sword for defense, she followed Adam’s lead and scooped up a rock with each hand.
Talia’s ribs hurt with each breath she took. She tried to find strength, once more, to scream against her enormous opponent. It was useless. She could only draw breath shallowly, as the pain was too much for anyone to bear. Talia knew she was injured, nevertheless, she chose to meet the ettin face to face as it crossed the stream to finish what it had started.
Ooglef could clearly see the little stringy wasn’t ready to give up. When he spotted that it too had rocks in its hands like the other, he didn’t want to risk being hit in the eye again. He knew Arlaff wouldn’t approve, but he wanted to do it anyway. Enough with these games, Ooglef thought, and then he pulled back their left arm and swatted the stringy through the air, sending her downstream from where she had been standing.
With what little light there was left in the sky fading quickly, Donadeir saw the grotesque beast hit Talia knocking her into the air with its hand. He also saw the outline of Adam laying prone on the ground near the stream crossing. Talia was closer to him now. It didn’t matter if she was still alive or not, he had to get closer to save her. Donadeir refused all self-doubt within him and would not allow it to take hold. His muscles ached and his body was wracked with pain, but it did not matter. This was his body and he was in control. Nothing was going to stop him.
The cold, icy depths lost their deadly hold over him and he easily pulled himself free of the currents, dragging his body from the water. He burned as the pain and anger awakened every fiber of his being. All the better, he thought to himself. More fuel to destroy this creature with.
Arlaff had had enough of Ooglef’s defiance already and decided he needed to be reminded of who was in control. Arlaff brought his club around and struck Ooglef hard in the face so he could regain control once more. This meal was finally ready to be eaten, and Arlaff didn’t like it when the dim-witted idiot would play with their food like this.
This was too much work for just a couple of crumpets. From what Arlaff could see, the one Ooglef hit with the rock was done, but the one who had bit his toe was still moving around. He had no intention of letting it escape. He walked over to stand above the toe biter, for he needed to see the life escape his prey. He reached down and used the end of his club to roll his puny foe over so he could look at its face.
Talia knew she was in bad shape. No strength remained in her body and every part of her hurt as the ettin rolled her over onto her back. The smarter head stared at her, examining her expressions, while the other was cradling its head and whimpering softly. Talia knew she had no fight left within her, but she was still not ready to surrender. She tasted the sweet, coppery tang of her own blood in her mouth and defiantly she tried to rise up to spit in the ettin’s ugly faces. In response, she felt the ettin place the end of its club on top of her and press down. Her whole torso cried out in blinding, searing pain, and she knew she was in her last moments. She watched as the creature lifted its club over its head, ready to crash down upon her with its final blow.
Something glowing caught Ooglef’s attention from the corner of his eye as he cowered beneath his arm. Arlaff had never punished him with the club before, so at first, he wasn’t certain if what he noticed was a light or from the hard blow he had just taken. Ooglef looked down to see the potbellied one who had fallen into the stream was now walking toward them, its arms outstretched at its sides. He knew it was his job to let Arlaff know of any possible dangers, and he didn’t want to be punished again. He reached up and grabbed the club trying to get Arlaff’s attention.
Rage and hatred had replaced all fear and knowing inside Donadeir’s mind. It was clear to him the pathetic beast meant to finish Talia. He was not going to allow that to happen. As the insignificant creature brought up its other arm to grip its club with both hands, Donadeir could hear, could feel, its heart racing as the beast’s putrid blood pumped through its veins. The blood as dark and worthless as the dust on the ground cried out to him as pressure built behind Donadeir’s burning eyes. Something inside his head broke, and as painful and agonizing as it was, a force unlike any other he had known pushed its way out of his head, reaching out to answer the call of the nothingness before him. With the dark fire’s release, Donadeir felt pure exaltation.
Arlaff was agitated when Ooglef chose to stop his moment of satisfaction. Confused, he looked down to see the large crumpet Ooglef wanted to point out. Arlaff had never seen a crumpet’s eyes glow with fire like that before.
Talia looked up at her murderer with disdain. The area seemed to light up in her last moments, allowing her to see it holding its club with both hands with perfect clarity. She studied the eyes of her killer and realized both sets were very afraid.
Adam came to just in time to see Talia was clearly in great danger. The two-headed beast was readying its final blow. As he reached out to her, a bright light began to fill the clearing, emanating from the other side of the giant monstrosity. The beast’s arms began to pulsate and wobble like fish jelly and they were as dark red as blood. In unison, both heads of the creature screamed with agonizing pain as its arms exploded violently showering sinew and gore everywhere. Its club dropped harmlessly behind the beast’s enormous form, hitting the ground with a resounding thud.
Talia was horrified by what she had observed. Yes, she knew whatever strange power this was had not come from her. Her head turned toward the red light growing in the clearing along the riverbank, and suddenly she knew. She could see him, the heir, her friend, and she knew he was trying to save her, to save Adam. Talia felt remorse wash over her as Donadeir unleashed the power of his blood in order to save his friends. What bothered her the most was she couldn’t tell if he was smiling, or crying. Talia’s heart ached for her friend.
The beast was thrust to its knees by an invisible force. Ooglef and Arlaff had never felt pain like this before, nor had they known the pain of their shared parts as the other sensed them. The anguish grew with the relentless cycle of Ooglef feeling his own pain, as well as Arlaff’s and Arlaff’s agony as he felt Ooglef’s, in an unyielding, continuously building, unrelenting, compounding torment.
Donadeir reached out his hands toward the creature, feeding on its fear, as it returned to his body as pure exultant power. He could feel and control the magic flowing in his veins from the beast’s life force. Their internal screams became the sweetest of music, but there was something wrong. A voice within him, he knew to be his innocence, protested and pleaded for mercy as the darkness dared to take him over. In his mind’s eye, he saw Talia and Adam in pain, hurting, crying out in mourning for his own tormented soul. Donadeir’s inner voice screamed out for him to listen to his friends, to show mercy and to have mercy for himself. His soul struggled to save Donadeir from himself.
Adam could see Donadeir clearly and he knew what his blood brother had become. His heart ripped open with the pain of seeing his brother being tormented so. The pain on Donadeir’s face seemed a thousand times more terrible than the suffering he had felt from the battle. Adam knew Donadeir was fighting for his very soul, his very being. He desired to pay his life debt now if only to spare Donadeir from his anguish and despair, but how could he? He wept with the knowledge he could not save his brother.
Do you see? The inner voice would not abate. They know you, they see you. They know your power, and they cry for you. You can’t even cry for yourself. All you feel is pain. All you know is rage. All that is you is power. All is nothing. Nothing is all. Do you see?
Tears burned down Donadeir’s face as the hot winds swirled around him. His friends feared him. They were relieved not to be him, and yet, they longed to take his place to save him. Donadeir knew this was a power he had never wanted, never needed, and he feared to hold it.
Talia watched as Adam stumbled forward to grab Donadeir’s outstretched left hand. If Dona could endure so much suffering, she too, must be there for him. She watched as the final
visages of her beautiful Dona burned away. Adam wanted to pay his debt, Talia knew, although she didn’t understand how she knew. She reached and pulled herself to Donadeir, knowing her broken body didn’t matter. She needed to say good-bye.
Adam reached for Talia to pull her to them. The swirling wind around them burned hot, pushing away the cool chill of the spring. He knew they both needed to be here to say good-bye.
“No,” whispered a voice resounding from everywhere all at once.
Donadeir focused on his friends in his mind’s eye. Adam, wanted to offer to pay his life debt. Talia, wanted to take away his despair. You saved me, Adam. You comfort me, Talia. Donadeir forced himself to remember who he was, surviving with his friends, learning to fight with Adam, and Talia always patiently showing him he could do something. Eternities away, as if it had never happened, and yet Donadeir’s inner voice grew stronger, reminding him it was just today. It was now. It has been going on forever and will continue to be him with his friends for all eternity, protecting one another. The darkness of his destiny, the taint of his true father’s legacy, must die here so he could be with his friends.
The darkness answered Donadeir’s thoughts, “Fulfill your fate.” Talia, Adam, and the ettin heard them too, each of their minds connected with Donadeir.
Donadeir realized the voice he had just heard wasn’t his own, nor that of his legacy. Arlaff and Ooglef’s voices cried out a thousand times in unison, “Mercy” inside Donadeir’s head. He heard Talia and Adam’s voices inside as well and they agreed, “Mercy.” Donadeir, finding his own voice, conceded and joined the chorus, “Mercy.” Donadeir released the ettin’s fear, and with it, the power which sought to erase him.
“NO!” the darkness decreed.
The ettin collapsed on its back in relief, finally allowed to die. Mercy was a concept unknown to its existence before tonight, and it was grateful to have become aware of this new concept, so it could find peace. It knew the alternative would have been never ending torment.
Talia and Adam looked into Donadeir’s eyes as the fire fled, leaving their friend just where he belonged. They felt his body give under their grasp as he became limp.
“Well, it could have been worse,” Donadeir said with a sheepish grin.
“Shut up, Dona,” Talia sighed as she grabbed her friends close, hugging them tightly.
A soft singing filled the glade.
“I’ve heard this song before,” Donadeir began to say before peaceful sleep overcame him.
