by Bill Albert
“Yes, I hope you could keep her interested until I moved around and could strike her.”
“Yes, that was good,” he said but she wasn’t sure if he had actually caught on to the plan are not.
“Lincilara, we have to go,” Blinks said gently. Lincilara wiped tears from her eyes gently kissed the surface of one of the dark stones, then fluttered up to join them.
“We must stop that mad woman” she said.
“We need to find her as fast as we can,” Blinks said. “Stay close but stay invisible.”
Just as he finished the library shook again and they heard the terrible moan of pain.
“Fly as fast as you can,” Blinks called to Lincilara and the fairy vanished before he finished.
“Where do we start? Angelia asked.
“Where would it be?” Blink asked no one in particular as he thought of everything he could remember about the first trip here. “Jakobus found the third level,” he said.
“There are only two now.”
“The third one is hidden; you have to be inside in the right place to see it. Casts are there, curses, things that most shouldn’t find.”
“We better find it so we can get Lincilara and the rest out of here.”
“Jakobus was the one who found it. That’s what led us to the swamps. The feeling was one of the others could be powerful enough to remove it.”
“But can you find it?” Angelia asked urgently.
“Lincilara, do you know the way?” He asked quietly.
“I think so,” she said, and they could tell by the sound of the fluttering that she was nearby.
“Me too. Follow me,” he said and dashed off looking for a flight of steps to get them to the second floor. They ran hard with weapons in hand ready for anything that waited around the corner behind the shelf. Most of what they saw had already been ransacked leaving piles of ashes and scorched books.
They found a flight of stairs and sprinted towards it, just as their feet hit the top step there was an explosion further up. The fire bolt split the stairs and the bottom half collapsed sending them flying.
As before the entire library shuttered and there was a terrible moan.
As they rose Marassa was upon them and she was swinging at Blinks with her own cast sword. He barely managed to roll out of the way and get back on his feet. Angelia didn’t wait and attack the evil woman with her club. The sparkling cast had no effect on her, but the club solidly struck her in the side.
Marassa stayed on her feet but howled at the full force of the impact center to one side. She got her footing quickly and returned the strike against Angelia. Angelia countered the attack but felt a sharp pain in her thigh even though the blade was held the foot away. She grimaced and pushed it back.
Blinks came forward to cut over and down on Marassa with his sword. She deflected his attack, but the blades were caught and clung together for a few seconds. He realized the cast on her sword also gave it invisible Hook spikes at the end.
“If you weren’t so rotten that Cass would be so cool,” he yelled at her.
“You only know the half of it, freak,” she yelled and struck at him again. He felt the sharp spikes brush against his leg.
“We couldn’t use casts in here before.”
“Yes, that was the first defense I was able to break.”
Blinks stepped in to cut her, but she was able to dodge it out of his path. He accidentally struck a toppled bookcase. The library shuttered before he could withdraw but there was no moan of pain.
Angelia punched at Marassa side again, but the wicked woman deflected the blow. Marassa reared back and made an all-powerful swing at her opponent. Even Angelia’s push back and add downward arc from Blinks couldn’t completely stop her. Angelia felt the invisible Hook rip into her side and tear through part of her skin and leather clothes.
Blinks kicked up and neatly broke Marassa’s right elbow. She took one hand off her sword and tried to slap at Blinks. This time her direction altered when there was a flash of light in her eyes so bright, she instinctively lifted a hand up to protect yourself.
One her vision cleared she saw Blinks had released her and turned to go after the wounded Angelia. She took a few steps towards her victim ready to strike, but there were suddenly several flashes of color before her eyes. Disoriented she grabbed it something to balance herself when she felt a burning/inner side. There was another flash directly in front of her and she fell forward. She used all her concentration to cast herself up to the broken staircase and disappear.
The second she was gone Blinks was at Angelia. She was slumped to the ground trying to stop the bleeding from the puncture in her side.
“Don’t move,” Blinks said. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do. My armor has a healing cast on it. I’ll take of your armor and you can wear it and heal. I’ll wear yours.”
“That would never work,” she said in pain.
“Why not? With your hair and complexion, you’d look great in red.”
Despite her pain, Angelia couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
“Oh!” Blinks exclaimed and suddenly stood up causing a sharp twinge in the pain down Angelia side as he let her drop. He jumped around as if answer for crawling inside his armor and he was trying to scratch them out. He suddenly stopped with a hand tucked under his belt and smiled at her. He retrieved his hand and was holding a faint orange cloth. “I forgot about this!” He went back to her and immediately put the cloth over her wound.
“That actually feels good,” Angelia said in surprise as she looked down at her wound.
“What is that?”
“It’s a special cloth made from natural fibers and soaked in some liquid.”
“Like a potion?”
“Something like that yes,” he said and started rubbing the wound on her side with the cloth. “I’d forgotten I had it since I don’t use it as much anymore,” he said nervously. “There might be enough left to help your wound but not much after that. Even the seeds in plant fibers were out eventually.”
“Where did she go?”
“She went back up to the second floor. We’ll have to go up there.”
“There should be a few other staircases,” she said holding his hand in the cloth in one spot.
“Yes, I don’t like the idea of having to climb a stack of books to get up there.”
“I agree. The cast that are still at work here are better than anything anyone of us has imagine. Even Novelevon would be impressed.”
“Are you feeling better?”
“Good enough, if you help me stand.”
Together they stood and, for a brief moment, she leaned into him for more than just support. She listened to his heartbeat and finally stood on her own balance and kissed him hard on the lips. He held her for a while until he started to blush and finally forced himself to pull away and, with her limping, they started off looking for a sturdy flight of stairs.
Neither of them heard a sweet sigh of relief.
By the time they found another flight of stairs her wound was almost completely healed, and she was walking on her own. They kept a few steps between them and silently climbed up to the second floor. Just as they stepped foot on the second floor, they heard footsteps and turned to see something coming out of the shadows towards them.
Blinks tightened his grip on his flame sword ready to fight whatever it was. It was big, he could see that, but he had found even giant monsters had their weaknesses and knew it would only be a matter time before he found the right place to hit. He forgot all of that when it finally stepped into the light.
Angelia thought of any casts she may have in place to either defeat what was coming to face them or defend herself or Blinks. She was determined to be prepared for whatever Marassa had sent after them. When she could see it clearly gasped and took a step back.
Blinks had spent much of his life honoring him. Even the Others, like Angelia, had heard of his good deeds in the swamps. Before them stood the mighty, powerful, a
nd legendary King Paleth of the Giant Lords. He was also very dead.
“Freeze,” Angelia ordered Blinks and he did as he was told.
The undead Paleth stopped and looked around slowly. It was sensing someone, or something, nearby. Though slowed in its movements its senses were still good and its brain aware of what was happening. It leaned forward and its face was close to Angelia. She could see how it shifted attention from her to the sparkling glow of the club she was carrying. It could see something was there but could discern nothing other than the dancing images. Soon it shifted its attention to Blinks and his flame sword. It tried to get closer but as the heat waves flowed against its face it finally pulled back.
“Sheesh! That thing has bad breath,” Blinks sighed as it stood.
Before Angelia could scold him the undead Paleth growled in factory and swung its powerful fist at the human. Blinks dived out of the way and the giant’s strike split the floor. Blinks scrambled to get his footing but Paleth sensed where he was at and struck again. By pure luck the direction Blinks went took the giant away from Angelia who came after it with the club. She struck it several times in the hip, and it stumbled, forgot about the first target, then swung back at her.
Blinks saw his opportunity and struck the undead king’s side with the flame sword and quickly stepped back to avoid a bookcase being tossed in his direction. The case struck the ceiling in mid-arc and books and splinters fell on him like rain.
On opposite sides of the giant Blinks and Angelia both realized what they must do. By keeping their positions, they could alternate attacks and cut the undead body. Despite their superiority, they desperately looked for another advantage. It did not feel pain on its undead flesh and bone so it could still think and plan its attacks. It began to move to one side to try and get out from between them and each time it moved more books were destroyed. They could feel the libraries screams. They also had to face that not all of Paleth’s attempts to strike them missed.
Blinks’ flame sword managed to deflect a slap from a direct hit on this thing but was unable to jump the swipe clearly and landed hard on his elbow. Angelia was just too late in dodging a backward kick from the giant and slammed hard against the wall.
They both felt relief and renewed their attacks when Lincilara swept into the melee. She didn’t have to attack it but by flying so fast her natural green fairy glow left a tail behind her she could distract it enough they could attack at the same time. It tried to slap her out of the air but was slowed and she was always a second ahead of it. It wasn’t helpless but, soon, they could sense it was losing strength rapidly. It stumbled, nearly fell, but caught itself against a pillar.
Blink’s was hidden on its now blind side and sensed any second it would turn and expose itself to him. He stumbled briefly as he heard Angelia, somewhere unseen, cry out loud, but ran with all his strength to strike. The flame sword cut completely through the undead giant king’s neck and it toppled to the ground and stopped moving.
Breathing heavy Blinks walked towards the decapitated head and looked down on it to make sure there was nothing left to hurt them. He spun quickly and started running when he heard Angelia’s wail. He skidded to a top when he found her and gasped at the sight he faced.
Lincilara had not always stayed one second ahead of the giant. Just once she had been too late.
“No,” he whispered.
Angelia was on her knees, tears stringing down her face, cradling the Lincilara’s broken body. The tiny fairy looked even smaller as she lay unmoving in the woman’s hands. There was no sign of life at all in her and her gentle glow was gone. Blinks wrapped his arms around them both and they cried together.
Their grief was broken by the laughing above them. They slowly looked up and saw Marassa floating in the air.
“I can easily break you,” the evil woman said.
“No, no more of this,” Blinks said with all certainty.
“You will worship me,” she laughed.
“I will split you in two,” Blinks promised her.
“I can easily break you,” she said after a pause. “I can also make you,” she added and smiled.
“She’s gone!”
Blinks spun as Angelia stood. Her arms that had been cradling Lincilara were empty. They both looked up spitting hatred at Marassa who moved forward and over them. They watched her and soon she was where the undead giant had fallen but, it too, was gone. The books and parts of the library that had been destroyed were also back where they had begun. Despite their relief that it had all been an illusion, that Lincilara was alive somewhere, there was no lessoning in their determination.
“As my servants, I can make and break you.” Marassa said.
“No,” Blinks glared at her, then slowly started laughing as he pointed at her with so much hate and anger in his eyes even she, with all her power, was shaken.
Marassa disappeared without responding.
Without another word, Blinks and Angelia started after her.
***
They began searching again were surprised to suddenly find an area of the library that was untouched by Marassa’s anger. They even ran through several rows of books neatly stacked on shelves. They took several random turns and suddenly found the past blocked by something large with a wide-open mouth and glistening fangs. Despite her cool and bravery Angelia screamed and tried to turn back.
“It’s all okay! It’s okay!” Blinks said as loud as he dared to hoping no one else would hear.
“It’s not real, it’s stuffed.”
“Damn, that scared me,” she laughed nervously.
“It’s just a big stuffed bear. I’ve seen how the guys that do that stuff those things and preserve the animal that way.”
Angelia looked at it and laughed again. She couldn’t understand why drysiders would want to do this, they had never heard of this in the swamp, but she had to admit it was an impressive piece of work.
“I feel like such a fool,” she laughed and wrapped her arms around him.
“Don’t, they could happen anyone,” he said. “Trust me, anyone. Let’s get moving.” She walked away and he sneered and shook his fist at the bear one more time before joining her.
They took several turns through rows of shelves that hadn’t been damaged yet trying to stay out of sight but looking for any sign of what they needed.
They came to a stop at an intersection and made sure there was nothing approaching from any direction. Blinks heard a familiar sound and sighed with great relief.
“Lincilara, are you here?” Blinks asked.
“I’m here,” Lincilara said and became just visible enough that they could see her.
Both Blinks and Angelia held back a flow of emotion at the sight of their hero before them. Despite knowing that what they had seen was false they had still been troubled by the horrible images. Blinks even held out a hand, palm up, for her to stand on. Angelia could not stop herself from gently caressing the fairy’s cheek with her fingertip.
“Thank the gods you are safe,” Angelia said, but decided it was best not to explain to her anymore. “Where is she?”
“I’m not sure. She’s changing shapes and I lost track of her.”
“She’s a shifter?” Angelia asked.
“No, no, no,” Lincilara said her wings beating rapidly. “She’s put a new cast on herself.”
“At least, if she shaped shifting that is better than being a shifter. A once in a while shifter is something we can handle,” Blinks said with relief. “Let’s keep moving and try and find that third level. Lincilara, just keep doing what you do best”
Lincilara giggled with embarrassment, zoomed forward, and whispered something into Blinks his ear, then vanished. They moved on but took only a few steps when they heard a very distinctive growl and the padding of heavy footsteps that sounded only a few aisles away.
They turned and took a few steps in opposite directions, look back at each other, then stepped back where they had started.
�
��Which way?” The east asked the other simultaneously. “That way,” they responded the same time but pointing in opposite directions
The decision became pointless when a roar rumbled through this section of the library in a giant bear came around the corner. It looked at them, sniffed in their direction, reared on its hind legs, and came at them.
They knew this was not Marassa after shape shifting. Despite its movement and noise this was still the stuffed bear they had seen earlier. It had been animated, but its eyes were still ghostly, lifeless black and when its mouth opened, they could see its throat had been closed. It was not breathing. It was as deadly as a live bear and much stronger and harder to kill.
Angelia slowly swung her club in front of the attacker hoping the glow and shimmer would distract it but there was no response and it continued forward.
Blinks also swung his flame sword incredibly close to the beast. Even though the fur was scorched it did not react to pain. The bear struck back quickly, and its claws cut deep into Blinks. His right side erupted in pain as the claws cut into flesh and he felt blood pouring out from him. And he cast on the armor started to heal but a rip this bad would take time to heal. He knew there was very little time left.
Worried that their weapons were useless against whatever cast was on the stuffed animal they took up positions next to each other and slowly backed away. Remembering what they had felt before they both shuddered as Lincilara zoomed close to the bear and was almost snapped by its still powerful jaws.
“No!” Blinks yelled wanting her to stay safe.
“Get back!” Angelia added.
Lincilara looked at her and smiled as if she had given her some great idea. She nodded and swooped into the air in a high arch and dove straight back down on the bear. She landed hard between its ears and started pounding on it furiously. The bear was centered on Blinks and Angelia and kept coming after them.
With so little room between the bookshelves it was difficult to get a good strike at the bear. They were well aware of the library and wanted to avoid damaging the books. They knew they could easily outrun the bear but feared leaving it alone to stalk them and, perhaps, attack them again later.
