An explosion of dingy water and muck blinded her as a great head with large, tooth-lined jaws arose from the swamp. The jaws of the alligator snapped shut with an abrupt crunch, missing her by inches.
Ariel stumbled backward and fell onto the wet ground as the alligator again snapped at her and missed. She scooted backward on the ground as quickly as she could as the alligator raised its tremendous form onto the bank. It was a dull gray-green color and its broad head ended with a rounded snout. Its armored body was twenty feet long and covered with thick leathery scales.
It charged Ariel, its powerful jaws snapping at her with bone-crunching ferocity. As Ariel continued to scoot backward, her hand fell across a rotten tree branch. She picked it up and hurled it into the alligator’s gaping maw. Its massive jaws clamped down on the soft wood. It shook its reptilian head, shredding the branch to bits.
Ariel jumped to her feet and ran. Perhaps she could lose it in the mist. She heard the alligator pursuing her. Just ahead, she saw the dark, twisted shapes of several downed trees.
They had fallen close together in such a way that they formed a loose pyramid. There was enough room for Ariel to crawl under the trees, but the alligator’s bulk would not fit. She dove for the opening under the downed trees and slid through as the alligator crashed into the trunks. It wedged its snout under the opening, but it was much too large to follow her. Ariel slashed the reptile’s snout and left a deep gash across its nose. The alligator hissed and pulled its head back while it clambered onto the fallen trees, their trunks straining and cracking under its weight. Bits of bark, mud, and rotten wood fell on Ariel as she looked about for an escape route. The tree trunk above her cracked loudly. It wouldn’t support the alligator’s weight much longer.
Ariel slid herself backward until she reached the trunk that supported the others. She drew her other scimitar and positioned herself so she had enough room to defend herself. There was another loud crack, and the tree that had shielded Ariel from the alligator split apart. Half of the trunk and the alligator fell on the ground in front of her.
As the alligator lunged, Ariel looked into its yellow-green eyes and drove her scimitars home. The alligator hissed again and fell to the ground.
Ariel caught her breath while she cleaned her weapons, then she resumed her journey to the heart of the swamp. It was not far now. She would be there by midnight.
Ariel heard more strange whispers. Their haunting voices mocked her as she made her way to the sacred grove. She still saw the dark, wispy shapes among the trees. Spirits of the damned, she thought. They would accompany her the rest of the way.
Ariel walked for another half hour. She stumbled onto a nest of huge black widow spiders that were nearly a foot in diameter. They descended from the trees and tried to land on her. She slashed through several spiders and avoided the large mass of webs that was their nest.
When Ariel reached the grove at the center of the swamp, the moon was high in the night sky, drenching everything in a bluish-white glow. She came to a clearing in the morass of twisted, tortured trees. It was over sixty feet wide and twice as long. Dense brushwood and wild tangled grass filled the grove. At the center was a round, overgrown pool about twelve feet in diameter. Carved stones ringed the pool. In each stone was carved a druidic symbol of power.
The pool was filled with filthy dark water and reeked of decay. This was once a druid’s gathering place. Long ago she had come here to refresh herself in the clear waters of the sacred pool. She wiped a tear from her cheek. She remembered the many classes she attended here. Her mentor was kind and wise.
Suddenly, she became aware of the eerie silence that surrounded her. The mist began to recede and the shadowy figures that had haunted Ariel faded into darkness. A slight breeze blew through the trees, causing their branches to scrape against each other.
Ariel shuddered. She wasn’t alone any longer. She felt sinister eyes upon her. Something close yet unseen watched her, measured her.
Ariel held her arms out to her sides. “I am here. Show yourself.”
A few moments later something large moved beyond the far side of the clearing. The soggy ground beneath her feet shook. Several trees snapped and fell as some giant unknown thing approached. Ariel’s heart pounded in her chest. Her breathing became shallow and fast as she gripped her scimitars.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Druid’s Duel
The massive shape pushed its way toward her, snapping and splintering trees as it moved. Ariel heard its deep, raspy breathing as it drew closer. She took a step back and tensed.
It lumbered into the clearing opposite Ariel and stood there watching her. It was an abomination, a thing born from nightmares. Its humanoid shape stood over ten feet tall. It walked upright on cloven hoofs and it was covered with greenish-brown fur. The head was crowned with an enormous set of antlers, each the size of a small sapling.
Below the antlers was a thick green mane like that of a lion. The tips of pointed ears protruded from the mane. The creature’s face was twisted into a scowl and twitched with rage. It regarded Ariel with large black eyes.
Its muscular arms ended with long clawed hands, one wielding a gnarled tree trunk for a club. It wore a torn leather loincloth.
The creature let out a low growl and lowered its head as it studied her.
“I know you,” it said with a deep, booming voice.
Ariel raised her chin and returned its stare. She said nothing.
“You have come to…challenge me?”
Ariel noticed it tightened its grip on its club.
“I was told you would come,” it growled. “How dare you enter my grove, little elf.”
“I do not wish to challenge you,” said Ariel. “But I am called and must obey. And I know you.”
The beast-man blinked. “You…know me?”
Ariel took a step forward, “You are Bhael Treemender.”
The giant narrowed its eyes and gave another low, throaty growl.
“What has happened to you, Bhael? Look at what you have become,” said Ariel. “Let me try to help you.”
Bhael’s face twisted as he snarled, revealing a set of fangs.
“Why would I want your help?” roared Bhael. “I am the stronger! I am the high druid!”
Ariel’s leg muscles became taut as she readied herself for an attack.
“No,” she said. “A dark druid can never be the high druid. You have lost what you once were.”
Bhael’s dark eyes drifted toward the ground. “Whoever controls magic controls destiny. But there is…a price to pay for such power.”
“Oh, Bhael, what have you done?”
“Done?” The giant raised a bushy green-gray eyebrow. “I have become more,” he roared. “I am more powerful than ever! My power is absolute. My thoughts become reality.”
Ariel shook her head and looked into Bhael’s black eyes.
“You have betrayed us. Betrayed our order. Look around. You have destroyed and perverted that which you swore to protect. You have become a thing of evil, nothing more.”
Bhael lowered his head at Ariel. “You should not have come here. You cannot defeat me.”
“I am drawn here by a power greater than either of us,” said Ariel.
“Then you came to challenge me,” he said. “You were drawn to your death.”
A shiver ran down Ariel’s back. Such challenges, or duels, as they were known in the druidic world, were how one gained rank. The combatants always fought to the death.
Ariel exhaled. “You have left me no choice. Yes, I challenge you. For the sake of all, I challenge you.”
As she finished, Ariel drew her weapons. Bhael roared, lowered his head, and then charged. His powerful legs propelled his large form forward with astonishing speed. He was on Ariel in seconds. Ariel saw
the sharp antlers as they bore down on her.
She turned sideways and stepped back, easily dodging his attack. As Bhael thundered past, Ariel whirled in a circle and slashed his back with both scimitars. He roared and spun around, swinging his massive club. Ariel leapt backward as the club crashed to the ground. The impact sent dingy water flying, along with chunks of dark, soggy soil.
Ariel backed into something cold and hard. It was one the ceremonial stones that ringed the pool. Bhael bellowed and swung at Ariel again. She dove away, hit the ground, and rolled to her feet as he shattered the stone. The attack also splintered his club. Bhael hurled the sizeable chunk that was left at Ariel.
Ariel gasped as the heavy stump sailed at her. She tried to spin out of its path, but the wooden missile grazed her left side and knocked her to the ground. She winced as a sharp pain shot through the left side of her body. She scrambled to her feet and faced the giant.
Bhael growled as he raised one enormous clawed hand palm up and pointed at Ariel with the other.
Ariel felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. All around her she heard loud crunching and snapping sounds. She glanced about and saw the dead, rotting trees and foliage began to writhe.
The gnarled trees and plants were uprooted. In a few seconds, the mass of dead vegetation churned and thrashed and shaped itself into a giant serpent. It was over fifty feet long and its body continued to writhe as it reared back and opened its round, cavernous maw.
Ariel turned and ran. The serpent of churning trees and vegetation slammed into the ground where she had just stood. The impact of the tree serpent’s attack shook the ground, knocking Ariel off her feet. She rolled over and sprang to her feet. The writhing, twisting serpent raised its head from the soggy ground and turned toward her.
That last attack was too close, thought Ariel. How does one defeat such an enemy? Her mind raced as she grabbed her side in pain. She had never faced a foe like this. She didn’t dare fight it. The earlier injury impaired her movement, and her weapons were useless. She couldn’t even think of any helpful spells.
From the corner of her eye, Ariel saw Bhael. He stood in place and continued to point at her, his eyes never leaving her. An idea popped into Ariel’s mind and she changed directions, running straight toward Bhael. This might be her only chance, she thought, looking over her shoulder as she ran. The writhing serpent was gaining on her.
Ariel sheathed her weapons and stretched out her arms. Feathers sprouted from her body while her nose and mouth formed a beak. She assumed the shape of a large hawk, flapping her wings and shooting skyward as the tree serpent lunged and missed.
Once she had gained sufficient altitude, Ariel turned and plummeted straight at Bhael. She extended her talons and crashed into the giant, ripping and tearing at his face and eyes. He swiped at her, causing him to lose his concentration. As soon as he did, the tree serpent fell apart, crumbling into a large decaying pile of debris and muck.
Bhael snarled and tried to crush Ariel between his hands as he clapped them together. Ariel disengaged and flew upward, leaving him with several cuts on his face. Ariel looked back and saw Bhael watching her fly away. His lips peeled back over his teeth, forming a sneer. The giant closed his black eyes. His skin grew black-purple scales and his arms became leathery wings. He grew a long snout embedded with several rows of razor-sharp teeth. He sprouted a long thrashing tail that ended with a large stinger. Bhael’s new wyvern shape was easily three times the size of Ariel’s hawk form.
Bhael leapt into the air, and with two flaps of his leathery wings he was in pursuit of Ariel. She flew as fast as she could. She zigzagged back and forth, dodging Bhael’s toothy maw as he snapped at her. He can match my speed, she thought, but she can outmaneuver him. She plunged down into the trees, Bhael was close behind her.
Ariel wove her way in and out of the mossy, gnarled trees. Their branches moved and swayed, as if attempting to catch her or slow her flight. She was relieved to see Bhael collide with the branches, which hampered him and caused him to fall behind. Ariel heard his wyvern’s screech. He was frustrated and angry, and she realized she could use that to her advantage.
She looked behind her. There was no sign of Bhael. Where was he? Perhaps he had assumed a different shape. Even with her hawk’s keen eyesight, Ariel found it difficult to see well in the mist. She stayed below the tree line and doubled back to the grove. One of the carved stones provided excellent cover as she landed and resumed her elven shape.
Ariel crouched and peered out from behind her hiding spot. She saw nothing. Bhael could be anywhere. He could assume the shape of nearly anything. His wyvern form was proof he also possessed the ability to assume the shapes of magical and unnatural creatures. She didn’t possess such a high level of shape-shifting ability; Ariel could only change into typical animals.
She changed shape again, this time into a panther. The moonlight glistened on her sleek black fur as she glided through the trees and undergrowth, stopping every now and then to listen. She stayed low to the ground and circled the grove.
Something large moved in the mist to her left. Ariel stopped and crouched. The scent of another predator filled her nostrils, and the fur on the back of her neck stood up. The other predator was close. She scanned the mist-shrouded grove. This time she saw a pair of large yellow eyes watching her.
Suddenly, a large greenish-brown cat with long saber-shaped canine teeth burst from the mists and charged Ariel. She leapt up and hurtled herself at the oncoming attacker. The two great cats collided in midair and landed as a rolling mass of fur and claws in shallow water. Bhael’s saber-toothed cat form was heavier and stronger than Ariel’s panther form, but again she was faster. They tore at each other with sharp claws and teeth.
Bhael swatted Ariel’s neck with a powerful strike. The force of the blow knocked her on her side, and before she could recover, he pounced on her. His heavy frame pinned Ariel and partially submerged her. Bhael lunged for her exposed neck but Ariel raked his face with a quick strike. It was enough for her to wriggle free. Now the two cats circled each other in the shallow water.
Ariel saw an opening and sprang. She sank her teeth into Bhael’s thick shoulder. He roared and swatted Ariel, sending her flying twenty feet away. Landing hard on a muddy bank, she sprang to her feet and faced Bhael. The saber-toothed cat was already charging her. Ariel leapt at him. With claws extended, she sailed through the air. Bhael rose on his hind legs and struck Ariel’s midriff with a heavy paw.
His claw slashed across Ariel’s abdomen, and the force of the blow sent her flying toward deeper water. She struck the water with a loud splash. She paddled to the surface and gasped for air. Her midsection and left side were on fire and throbbed with pain, making breathing painful.
Bhael charged again. This time he changed shape as he ran. The fur of the saber-toothed cat melted into hard scales and his face elongated and formed a toothy snout. Her injury prevented her from swimming fast. If she tried to climb onto the bank Bhael would be on her almost immediately.
Ariel gulped in as much air as her sore ribs would allow and slipped beneath the surface of the water. She changed shape again, her arms and legs fusing with her body. The panther form elongated and she became a brown and green striped snake. She swam downward, her body forming an S shape as she turned left then right. She felt the thunderous splash as Bhael dove into the water above her.
She hid in the weeds and bramble on the bottom of the swamp. She raised her head a little so she could see the surface. Bhael’s alligator form had entered the water exactly where she had shape changed into a snake. He glided through the water near the surface, swinging his head from side to side as he searched for her.
Ariel swam to the bank and hid in an area thick with slimy reeds, lying half submerged in the dark water. No matter what form she chose, he would always be stronger. He knew this too. He was overconf
ident because of his great strength and the varied forms he could choose to assume.
A moment later something large swam past, creating a swell of water that rolled over her. Ariel dared not move while he was close. She waited. An hour later she heard a splash. Almost thirty feet in front of her Bhael emerged from the water. He stopped and transformed back into the large beast-man form. She watched him survey his surroundings.
Having lost his prey, he shape-shifted into the saber-toothed cat. The cat form was a better hunter, a formidable combination of strength and speed. The great cat raised its head and sniffed the air. Ariel froze. She didn’t even breathe. Bhael sniffed a few more times and then walked toward the grove.
Ariel slithered out of the water and watched him from a distance. If his physical strength was too much to overcome, another tactic must be used. An idea came to her. Ariel shifted into the form of blackish-gray snake. It was smaller, but faster and much more lethal. She slithered through the grass and approached Bhael from behind. Slowly and carefully, she maneuvered to within striking distance.
She lay still and flicked her tongue. The cat’s musty odor excited her senses. If he discovered her while she was in snake form she would be ripped to shreds. She had one chance to end the duel. Everything depended on her being able to surprise him with a timed strike at his vulnerable neck. Some of the poisons she would inject into him would paralyze him in seconds. Those seconds were what worried her; she had to avoid Bhael’s teeth and claws.
Ariel slid beside him and coiled her body. She raised her head. Bhael sniffed and began to growl. He had picked up her scent and would discover her at any second. Ariel uncoiled her body and struck. Her fangs pierced his hide. She injected her venom and fell away, immediately slithering into taller grass. Bhael roared and jumped into the air. He swung his head about, searching for Ariel.
Wizard's Key (The Darkwolf Saga Book 1) Page 26
