Princess of Lanfor

by F. P. Spirit

  Serpent-Lloyd let out a loud cry, spinning around as fast as it could move its large, bulky form.

  “You better hurry up, or the next time it’s coming clean off!” Cyclone called out to the others.

  Glo exchanged a worried glance with Aksel, but the little cleric just shook his head. “I tried dispelling whatever was cast on him. I’m just not sure what else to do.”

  “Maybe this will help!”

  They both turned to see Seth running across the cavern toward them. The halfling held a wand in his hand. “This is what that cult mage used on Lloyd.”

  Seth stopped in front of Glo and handed him a gnarled wooden stick. Glo reached in his pouch and pulled out the potion that enhanced his senses. He gulped it down, then closed his eyes while holding the wand in both hands.

  A vision immediately formed in his mind. He saw a black cloud circle around Lloyd and envelop him. Lloyd’s body then began to glow black, shifting and growing until he had transformed completely into a serpent. The entire scene reminded Glo of when Ruka shifted into her dragon form. The only difference was that when Ruka changed, she was surrounded by a brilliant white light.

  That’s it!

  Glo’s eyes snapped open. He peered at Aksel and Seth with renewed hope. “It’s a spell of malefic transformation. A simple dispel won’t work. You would need a spell of a higher order.”

  Aksel’s expression was grim. “I can’t cast anything higher.”

  Seth snapped his fingers. “Elladan might.”

  Glo’s eyes went wide. Seth was right. Bards were intuitive casters. They didn’t study like wizards or pray like clerics. That limited what they could cast, but enabled them to learn complex spells more easily.

  Aksel barked at Seth. “Well don’t just stand there. Go get him!”

  Seth fixed Aksel with a scathing stare as his hands weaved a short incantation. “Yes, your majesty… Tempore Duplo.”

  Seth released his spell, then shot off down the tunnel faster than a jackrabbit.

  Meanwhile, serpent-Lloyd had grown angry. The creature crossed its blades in front of its torso and closed its eyes.

  Cyclone did not seem impressed. He glared at the half-serpent creature. “That the best you’ve got?”

  As if to answer his question, serpent-Lloyd’s blades suddenly lit up in flames.

  Cyclone let a closemouthed laugh. “Humph. That’s not gonna do you much good if you can’t hit me.”

  Lloyd launched himself at the dragon hunter once again. He seemed a bit faster this time. Cyclone did his best to compensate, but Lloyd finally broke through his guard. His black blade sliced across the hunter’s hand, causing Cyclone to lose his grip on his weapon.

  The snake-warrior’s second blade immediately followed, flashing across the hunter’s torso and leaving a wide gash in its wake.

  Lloyd’s black blade came around again, this time aimed directly at Cyclone’s head. It appeared that the hunter was finished, but at the very last moment, Cyclone managed to deflect the blade with his bracer and in the same motion grab Lloyd’s arm.

  Serpent-Lloyd struggled to pull away, but somehow Cyclone managed to hold on. In desperation, the half-serpent creature stabbed at the hunter with its other blade. Cyclone somehow deflected that blade as well, and caught hold of Lloyd’s other arm.

  Serpent-Lloyd cried in out in rage, trying to pull away from the dragon hunter, but Cyclone held him fast. The hunter said nothing, but Glo felt a strange energy emanating from him. The pair stayed locked in that position for a few more moments, when abruptly the dragon hunter struck.

  In a lightning-fast motion, Cyclone jumped up and lashed out with both legs at the half-serpent creature. He struck with so much force that Lloyd was sent flying across the cavern. The half-serpent slammed into the wall on the other side of the cave and slumped to the ground in a heap.

  Cyclone scooped up his halberd and sped after him, stopping just before the fallen creature. Serpent-Lloyd appeared to be stunned by the impact. He tried to lift himself, but immediately fell back to the ground. Cyclone stood over him, his shoulders tense, then slowly lifted the razor-sharp spear above his head, poised to deliver the killing blow.

  “Cyclone!” Glo and Aksel cried the hunter’s name simultaneously.

  “Stop!” Two more cries were added to theirs as Seth and Elladan appeared from down the tunnel.

  Cyclone still held his weapon aloft, but turned his face toward the others. Glo felt a sudden chill go up his spine. Cyclone’s eyes had changed. They were no longer human. They looked like black slits—nearly the same as Lloyd’s, but even scarier, the whites of his eyes had turned red.

  As Glo watched in terror, Cyclone turned his gaze back to Lloyd, then lowered his weapon. The hunter then lashed out with his fist, catching the half-serpent creature across the jaw.

  Crack.

  The sound of the punch reverberated through the cavern as Lloyd slumped to the floor, out cold. Cyclone then strode away from the downed warrior. He glared at Glo with those eerie red eyes as he brushed by the others. “You better hurry up and fix him, or I’ll do it for you.”

  The dragon hunter then stormed down the tunnel and out of sight.

  “What the heck was all that?” Elladan asked his eyes wide. “He didn’t get turned, too?”

  Glo slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so. That was something else entirely…”

  “Elladan, can you help Lloyd?” Aksel brought them back on track.

  “Um… I think so,” the bard nodded.

  The four of them hurried over to the downed warrior. Lloyd was out for the count.

  Elladan began to weave his incantation. Glo was amazed by the complexity of the spell. He could feel the magic as it rose to a powerful crescendo. Still, it took time to weave, and Lloyd started to show signs of waking before it was finished.

  “Hurry,” Aksel urged Elladan.

  The bard ignored the cleric and finished his last few motions with the words, “Conteram Augurium.”

  A torrent of power flowed from the bard and wove itself around Lloyd, pinning him in place. The half-serpent tried to fight it at first, but the magic held him fast while enveloping his entire body.

  Lloyd transformed before their eyes, the serpent half of him shrinking down and turning back into human legs. His eyes were the last to change, fading back to their normal blue. When the magic finally released him, Lloyd fell to the ground in a heap.

  Glo and the others rushed to his side. “Lloyd! Are you alright?”

  The young warrior’s eyes slowly opened and focused on Glo. “I… think so. Is there… anything to eat? I’m starving.”

  “Heh. He’s fine,” Seth declared with a snort.

  Glo and Elladan lifted the tall warrior from the ground. Glo held onto him while Elladan changed the half-snake creatures in the cage back to their natural form. They turned out to be more men and women from nearby towns.

  The companions escorted them out of the caves so they could hide in the trees until the final battle with the cult was over. The entire time, Glo kept seeing the image of Cyclone’s red serpent-eyes in his mind.

  What exactly is up with the dragon hunter? Where did that sudden amazing strength come from, and what changed him back? Whatever it was, Glo silently hoped the fierce hunter remained on their side.

  The Serpent Queen

  The two titans clashed, blades and tail whipping around almost faster than the eye could see.

  Kalyn shuddered as they cautiously stole down the main tunnel that crawled deeper into the mountainside. The torches spaced evenly along the dark walls lent an eerie feeling to the already creepy tunnel, their dancing flames casting odd shadows everywhere.

  A short distance ahead, Kalyn could see that the tunnel gave way to a larger room. As they drew closer, she obse
rved two giant serpent statues against the back wall, situated on either side of a pair of closed doors.

  Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? Why couldn’t it be an owlbear cult, or a wolf cult, or even a kitty cult? Elfar could have his own cult! Wouldn’t that be cute?

  Kalyn suppressed another shudder. Sure wish I hadn’t left him back with the wagons…

  The lady archer frowned when she felt a pair of eyes boring into her. A glance to her side proved it to be Martan. The disheveled archer raised an eyebrow in question, but Kalyn merely rolled her eyes and looked away.

  Everyone filed out of the tunnel into the large, octagonal room. The two snake statues on the opposite wall appeared to glare at them ominously. It was quiet here. There were no people and no sounds. Just silence.

  Kalyn stooped and leaned in toward Seth. “Sure is creepy in here. I thought you said there was a bunch of slaves roamin’ around?”

  Seth peered sidelong at her. “They must be done with their excavation—and trust me, it was creepier with the slaves.”

  Kalyn shrugged, “Well, like they say—beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

  “Beholder? Where?” Elladan piped up, his eyes peering cautiously around the eerie tunnel.

  Kalyn slapped a hand over her mouth. She had inadvertently invoked the name of a terrifying bodiless monster. Given the current situation, it was too easy to imagine such creatures lurking around every corner. Kalyn stood ramrod straight and tried to cover her verbal misstep. “Beholder? Did I say beholder? What I meant to say was ‘beholden.’ As in I am beholden to y’all for lettin’ me come along on this ‘venture.’”

  The tension left Elladan’s shoulders, a half-smile curving his lips. “Oh. Good. I don’t ever want to run into a beholder—and you’re welcome.”

  Donnie chuckled, “You just want the beauty and not the beholder, eh, Elladan?”

  “I leave that part for you,” Elladan retorted.

  “No thanks. I have enough trouble keeping my own head straight,” Donnie whispered over his shoulder as he crept across the room toward the double doors. The thin elf carefully inspected the floor and the walls, giving the statues a moment of consideration before moving back to the group.

  “I don’t see any traps,” he reported.

  Seth snorted derisively. “Really? Maybe you should get your eyes checked.”

  Donnie shrugged, then ushered Seth forward. “You’re more than welcome to prove me wrong.”

  Seth crept forward, his gaze riveted on the twin serpent statues. Kalyn noticed a dull glow in their eyes as the halfling stole closer. She was about to say something when Seth halted and spun around. The halfling moved back to join them and folded his arms across his chest, a smug smile on his face. “Definitely trapped.”

  “What kind of trap and how do we disarm it?” Aksel asked.

  “The same nasty one that was on the statues at the gate, and I imagine that staff will work on them.”

  “You could tell all of that just by looking at it?” Donnie asked with disbelief.

  “Shhh! Don’t question the master!” Kalyn said, half-jokingly.

  Donnie held his hands in the air. “Hey, I’m just trying to make sure our lives aren’t at risk here.”

  “Too late for that,” Seth said, the corner of his mouth twisting upward.

  Aksel cleared his throat. “Ahem! If we could focus on disarming those traps, please?”

  Elladan reached into his bag and pulled out the covered snake staff, passing it to Aksel. The little cleric uncovered it, and then he and Alana both grabbed onto it and approached the statues with the staff raised.

  While Aksel and Alana worked on disarming the trap, Glolindir started doing some snazzy work of his own. Kalyn watched with appreciation as he wove his hands expertly in the air. Suddenly, Donnie turned invisible.

  “Oh, now that is slicker ‘n blowing up a lighthouse.” Kalyn giggled.

  Glolindir dropped his head and shook it with a heavy sigh. “Never living that down.”

  “Bah! Don’t be embarrassed! Own it!” Kalyn gave him a friendly punch in the arm. “I mean, if it ain’t you, it’s gonna be someone else doin’ it and getting’ put in the story books, right? So, might as well be you.”

  Glolindir eyed her skeptically, a single eyebrow arched.

  “That did the trick.” Aksel said, drawing Kalyn’s attention back to their original task.

  She glanced at the snake statues. The dull glow in their eyes was gone.

  “I’ll sneak up to the door and take a peek inside,” Donnie whispered, his disembodied voice unnerving Kalyn.

  “Be careful,” Alana told him, her voice betraying a hint of concern.

  “Always,” Donnie’s voice whispered from a little way ahead.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Alana murmured to herself.

  Kalyn held her breath as one of the double doors opened just a crack. It seemed like an eternity before they heard Donnie again. Kalyn nearly jumped out of her skin when Donnie’s voice came from just in front of her.

  “There’s a lot of chanting going on in there.”

  “Sheesh, elf! You’re gonna give me a heart attack.”

  “Sorry.” Kalyn could practically hear Donnie shrug with that stupid grin on his face.

  “Did you see anything?” Aksel asked.

  “Yep, and you’re not going to like it.” Donnie’s voice sounded grim. “The good news is it’s a big room filled with benches and lots of columns running its length, all of which will make good cover.”

  “And the bad news?” Elladan said with just a hint of trepidation.

  “There’s a big altar at the back of the room like Seth told us. There are a group of folks chanting around it—four black-robed figures and one tall bald guy with a skull tattoo on his noggin. He seems to be their leader.”

  “Probably another member of the Council of Six,” Elladan remarked.

  Kalyn felt a cold chill run up her spine. She put a hand over her heart as her mind started to boil with old, unwelcomed memories—memories of a tall, bald mage with a grinning skull tattoo on the left side of his face.

  A vision abruptly passed before her eyes. The dark mage chuckled sinisterly as he cast a spell that sucked her sister Kia, only four years old at the time, into the glowing stone in his hand. Her sister’s terrified, pain-filled screams had haunted Kalyn’s dreams ever afterward. Skull Head tried to use the same spell on Kalyn next, but the magic mysteriously failed. It was not till much later that she learned she had been protected by the old family heirloom that hung around her neck. To this day, Kalyn wished her sister had been wearing it instead.

  A firm, warm hand set itself on Kalyn’s shoulder. She looked to the side to see Martan giving her a reassuring nod. The archer then peered in the direction of Donnie’s voice. “A skull tattoo? You’re sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m positive.” Donnie paused briefly, “Why?”

  Martan removed his hand from Kalyn’s shoulder. “He tried to kill Kalyn when she was real little. He took her sister, too. If you ask me, she has the right to try and kill him back.”

  Kalyn’s mouth fell open, surprised that Martan would speak up for her like that.

  Donnie seemed okay with the idea as well. “That’s fine by me, but we have bigger problems. He and his cronies are not the only nasties in there.”

  “Spit it out already, Donnie. We don’t have all day,” Elladan urged the slight elf.

  Donnie sounded hurt. “I’m getting to it. Aside from those, there are eight of those big serpents like we fought back in Ravenford. There’s also a small two-headed dragon, a half-woman, half-serpent with snake hair, and a large half-man, half-serpent creature. The last one’s chanting next to the altar with Skull Head.”

  Donnie paus
ed a moment. “Oh, and if I forgot to mention it before, there’s a bluish-purple portal beginning to form over the altar.”

  “Nice thing to forget,” Elladan chided the invisible elf.

  Kalyn had started to shudder at the description of the monsters. She’d never heard of such hideous things, except maybe in childhood stories. She looked at Glolindir and found the elven wizard’s face furrowed with concern.

  “What are those things?” She looked between him and Elladan and Aksel.

  Elladan peered at her sympathetically. “Sounds like a hydra, a medusa, and a naga.”

  Glolindir nodded in agreement. “And, if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say they are beginning to summon their ‘goddess,’ or whatever she is, into this world.”

  “We’re sorely outnumbered,” Aksel’s voice was low and grim.

  “That doesn’t matter. We’ve got to stop them,” Lloyd declared. The young man swept his eyes around the group, his pupils burning with passion. “We have to do it now. We are the first line of defense. If they summon an evil goddess into this world, there is no telling what will happen or how many lives could be lost.”

  Kalyn felt inspired by Lloyd’s ardent speech. “In Deepwood, we say that if you don’t want your scalp on a shaman’s pole, you scalp the shaman first.”

  Cyclone snorted, either in amusement or annoyance. He stood nearby with his arms folded across his chest, but otherwise refused to comment.

  “I think the short version of that saying is ‘prevention is the best medicine,’” Elladan noted.

  Aksel nodded in agreement. “Lloyd is right. I never meant to say we should back away from this. What I meant to say is that we need a plan.”

  Kalyn smiled wanly at the gnome. “Yeah. Ain’t no Dunwynn tea party we’re going to tromp on.”

  Elladan waved everyone in closer. “Gather ’round folks. I think I might just have an idea or two.”

  Kalyn counted to ten, then slipped through the double doors into the chamber beyond. Seth, Donnie, and Aksel were all now invisible and had gone ahead of her.