The Shadows of Starpoint Mountain

by Bill Albert

  “It’s big, really big, this big,” she said stretching her arms out as wide as they could go as she spoke. “And it’s even bigger this way,” she bubbled with excitement as she floated horizontally so her arms were now up and down. “It looks like there is a really big wow in the middle of it,” she said bubbling with excitement and circled Gallif several times as she spoke. “That’s about all I had time to see cause I was afraid something in there might see me.”

  “What kind of something?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said trying to hold back tears. “I’m really sorry. I came around a corner and I knew I was heading in the right direction but there was something. A whole wall of something. I could see the castings in there but there were so many it was brighter than the sun.”

  “It’s okay,” Gallif said with honest concern.

  “Really? I’m very sorry.”

  “Trust me, it’s okay,” she said, and the fairy smiled and wiped tears away from her face.

  “I just thought of something,” Blinks cut in. “Anyone want to know what it is? I won’t tell you if you don’t, but if you do, I will.”

  “If you wish,” Jakobus said. He was partly relieved that attitudes were getting back to normal and partly frustrated at going the long way around.

  “Well, I’m not really sure that I must tell you. I’d like to tell you and I think it’s something you’d be interested in, if I did.”

  “If you wish,” Luvin said repeating Jakobus.

  “It’s not something we have to worry about now but will have to deal with sooner or later.”

  “Say it!” Gallif ordered.

  “Well, we’re supposed to find a library made up of books and books are made up of lots of letters. We know that there are eight hundred and ninety-seven letters in the dragon alphabet. Chances are none of us actually know how to read it.”

  There was a long silence as they walked before Jakobus responded. “You didn’t have to tell us that.”

  ***

  Lincilara shielded her eyes and warned them before they turned the final corner. Not being as sensitive towards casts as she was, the rest were able to look at the cave. The cavern exploded in size and was fifty feet tall and twice as wide. Inside it was a menagerie of their worst nightmares.

  At the center of the cavern stood six powerful elves. They were all heavily armed and ready and looked at the five arrivals with horrible grins on their crooked faces. These elves were twelve feet tall, as tall as most giants, and the metal edges of their axes were sharp and shiny. High above them six massive vultures sat on the edge of a nest. The vultures looked down at them and clacked their beaks together as if tasting their next meals. To the right of the giant elves six cyclopses were howling in glee at the new targets. They jumped up and down with delight and smacked their six-foot-long tree trunk clubs against the ground. To the left of the elves six-barrel sized spiders were turning to face them with their pinchers quickly snapping at them.

  “Lincilara, could this be an illusion?” Gallif asked with both swords in her hands.

  “I think so,” she said unable to look for more than a few seconds at a time. “There are so many casts it’s hard to tell them apart.”

  One of the cyclopses shimmered briefly and appeared to fall to the ground in a lump but before they could get a better look at it there was another shimmer and it was now a twenty-foot-long rattlesnake wound up in a coil. They transformed in the same way. The tails were all vibrating wildly and the sound was deafening, but before they could cover their ears all six snakes slid at them with fangs ready. Gallif stepped to one side and used all of her weight to push Luvin away. She swung at one of the snakes with both her swords, but the snakes were faster and recoiled their long bodies.

  “This can’t be here,” Blinks called as he also stepped away from the cavern. “I don’t believe what we are seeing.”

  “It’s not as simple as that,” Lincilara spoke quickly. “You need to have a specific reason.”

  “I think wanting to stay alive is good enough of a reason,” Blinks said looking back at the monsters.

  The barking of dogs caught their attention and they were forced to look back at the nightmare. Now there were also six hounds, gray, ten feet from whiskers to tail, each with blood covered fangs growling and baying at them.

  “There’s only one way to prove whether this is real or not,” Gallif said as they regrouped further away from the cavern.

  “I’m with you,” Luvin shouted above the noises.

  “We are with you,” Jakobus says holding his shadow axe back and ready to fight.

  Gallif held her weapons in front of her, took a deep breath, then they all stepped forward as one. For a second they were completely engulfed in the monsters of their nightmares. They each defended themselves against attacks and, though they felt no resistance, the heat and the smell of so many in a confined space was very powerful. Then there was a shimmer all around them and the only thing remaining was the caster behind it all and that was even worse than they had imagined.

  It stood well over forty-five feet tall including the massive curled black horns on its head. Its face was jagged with two glowing red eyes and a crooked mouth. The body was incredibly muscular with ancient tree trunk thick arms and legs covered by parched skin. Four fingers with two-foot-long claws protruding from each hand. It looked down on them and nodded and there was a horrible gurgling sound from its throat that they all realized was a laugh.

  Gallif, Jakobus, Luvin and Lincilara all prayed to their individual gods that they would survive the next few minutes with the daimon. Blinks looked straight up at it and whispered, “Holy shit.”

  Gallif was the first to step forward. As she did so she quickly switched swords so the frost sword was in her right hand and the flame sword in her left. With the daimon ability to control flames she knew the frost sword was her most powerful weapon. No, no, no, a whisper from her old mentor Rayjen told her, it is only the second. She started running and they all followed.

  The daimon took a mighty swing with its massive right arm in a large circle as it howled at them. Suddenly a three-foot-deep intense ring of fire completely surrounded the daimon and quickly spread away from the body. Gallif was too close and running too fast to stop so she launched herself up and over the flames, rolled on her shoulder and landed on her feet very near the daimon. She ran between the daimon’s legs and drove the frost sword hard into the monster’s left knee. It had been trying to create a second ring, but the direct hit caused it to falter and it growled in pain. She made a complete spin and saw that both Jakobus and Luvin had dived to the floor and were only touched by the rolling edge of the ring. Blinks wasn’t as lucky and had gotten completely flattened by the blast. Physically he was okay, he rose rapidly, but his armor was smoking from the heat. She knew she wouldn’t be safe for long so she sliced into the right leg as she ran to one side. She felt air movement near her and ducked just in time to avoid the daimon’s claws swinging at her. The claws were big and hard enough that even with her cast armor a strike from one would impale her.

  She turned back and chopped at the same arm as it took a second swing at her. She grazed the creature’s knuckle but didn’t spend much time seeing just how much damage she had done. As she planned her next move she saw Jakobus and Luvin both attacking the wound she had made in the knee. Jakobus was smaller and his cast axe missed the knee but still managed to strike the leg several times. Luvin also targeted the top of the frozen skin left from the frost sword.

  The daimon turned its attention on them as they tried to back out of the range of its arm. Temporarily out of its line of sight Gallif jumped up onto the giant foot and pierced the leg again with the frost sword. She steadied herself and held on as long as she could knowing that the freezing temperature of the sword would be incredibly painful against the high body heat. She repeatedly struck at the leg with her flame sword hoping the continuous sting would distract its attacks.

  She looked over her
shoulder and saw Blinks come forward, but he was intercepted by a daimon strike with a claw. Blinks changed his direction quickly enough that the claws struck the ground with enough force to crack open several layers of rock. He zigzagged with his long sword and opened the skin on the daimon’s hand.

  Gallif felt the weight of the daimon shift and knew what its next move would be. She jumped from the foot just as it tried to kick her away. She rolled to the floor and looked up barely in time to see the foot stomping down in her direction. She crawled out of the way barely a second from being completely smashed beneath it.

  As she got to her feet Jakobus passed by as he ran in for another strike. The daimon was fast enough that it managed to reach down and brush against the dwarf with the back of its hand. The force threw him in a forty-foot arc and landed with a loud thump. Gallif gritted her teeth knowing she had no time to make sure he was okay and took several more strikes at the legs.

  The daimon changed its position by taking several bold strides away from the back wall. The move caught them all off guard and they lost their positions. It stopped to face them. It clicked its claws together and pointed one at Blinks. It gave several short grunts and Blinks suddenly stopped in place. Knowing he would be an easy target Gallif barreled into him to knock him on his side hoping he would be safer there. Lincilara was suddenly near him and promised Gallif she would protect him until the cast wore itself out.

  Jakobus and Luvin were at her sides and she ordered them to surround the hellish beast. She could see the wounds in its legs but knew, if they wanted to destroy it, they would have to hit the higher parts of the body.

  “Luvin!” she yelled, and he turned toward her. In the brief second they made eye contact he glanced upwards at the rocky walls and he understood exactly what she meant.

  The daimon swept its hand in a circle again with a howl and they all knew another fire ring was coming. Gallif and Jakobus both dropped to the floor and she rose to her feet the second the rolling flames passed over her. Faster than it expected she was running towards it at full speed, used its own foot as a launch pad, and jumped high in the air. She wasn’t close enough to damage its face, but she managed to plant the sword straight into its chest. She hung on for a few seconds, braced her feet against its torso, and then quickly pushed away as it tried to claw her off its body. She flipped in the air and landed safely on her feet.

  She saw Luvin climbing up the rock wall and together she and Jakobus moved to one side to keep its attention on them. The daimon drove its claws in their directions and they barely managed to stay out of its reach. It took a step towards them, away from Luvin, and they knew they had to push back.

  There was a blur to one side as Blinks, now free of the prison cast, went charging at the monster. He was taller than the rest of them and his aim was good as he drove the long sword into the daimon’s side. It swung back and batted him away but Blinks’ grip on his weapon was strong and he tore away some of the heated flesh as he was forced away. The howl it emitted this time was a painful wail and they knew it could be hurt just like them.

  From where she stood she saw Luvin suddenly disappear from a small perch high on the wall. She knew he had leapt onto the giant daimon's back and it jerked to one side as his shadow hammer snapped against the back of its neck. Gallif and Jakobus knew Luvin would not be able to stay there long so they came forward with weapons swinging. The daimon tried to puncture them with the claws in one hand. It missed Jakobus but the razor-sharp tip scratched Gallif’s unprotected left arm. She clamped her jaw shut to prevent herself from crying out in pain and went into attack.

  The daimon used its right hand to reach back and tear Luvin from his hold on its shoulder. It tossed Luvin against the far wall hard and he landed stunned. Gallif wanted to see if he was okay but knew looking away from their enemy right now would be fatal. It pounded a hand down at them and smacked it hard against the floor. She cut hard and up against the arm and the frost sword caused it to withdraw with another painful howl. It clicked its claws together and pointed over her shoulder as it barked several times. She feared it had just cast something at Luvin and yelled angrily at it as she struck at it.

  The daimon howled and swept its hand in a circle again, this time in the opposite direction, and a wall of force pushed them all away. It was strong enough that they could not fight it, but they managed to stay on their feet. Lincilara, however, hit the wall and was briefly stunned.

  Gallif came to a stop and saw Luvin huddled against a rock shaking uncontrollably.

  “Go,” Blinks called to her and he and Jakobus rushed forward as she went to her friend’s side.

  “Are you all right?” she asked breathlessly. Luvin’s eyes were wide and his face was covered in sweat. He still held his hammer in hand but was shaking so violently there was no way for him to use it. She knew what the cast had been as she saw the horror in his eyes. He was very afraid, a cast that had to be broken and would not wear out, and she angrily stood and faced the daimon. “Back to hell for you!” she yelled and sprinted towards it.

  The daimon was backing away and as she approached it, she noticed, for the first time, that there was a transparency in its limbs. It meant that their damage was taking effect and the more transparent the body, the less effective it’s strength and casts were. It was still strong enough to cast another fire ring.

  Jakobus and Blinks were inside the ring and were unharmed. Gallif dropped down on her knees and held the frost sword directly in front of her. As the flames were pierced by the cold tip they separated and rolled clear of her. She repeated her tactic from before and launched herself off the foot to impale the frost sword into the center of its chest. It shuddered and rocked back as Jakobus and Blinks took advantage of the distraction and repeated their own attacks on the body.

  Gallif stayed as close to the chest as she could and was even able to see the transparent body starting to freeze. She saw the giant hand reaching up and was ready to release herself before being captured and was surprised that it passed over her and went up to its face. She managed to keep hold long enough to see Lincilara easily avoid being swatted by the giant palms of the daimon. The fairy had no casts that could directly hurt the beast, but her speed and size was enough to distract its vision. As she looked down to see Jakobus and Blinks continue their attacks she realized that not only was the daimon becoming transparent as it lost its strength; but it was also slowly shrinking.

  Gallif had very little time to enjoy that advantage as the other hand came up and quickly encircled her. It yanked her away so hard and fast she lost her grip on the frost sword leaving the weapon. She still had the flame sword in her left hand but was trapped and could not use it. It squeezed tightly and shook her wildly in the air. Disoriented she tried to keep her senses intact but soon was unsure if she was being held right side up or the opposite. She tried to position herself so she could strike if the opportunity became available, but the world was spinning around her and all she saw was a blur.

  She didn’t see Luvin’s eyes lock on her as she was being bounced around by the daimon. She didn’t see the overwhelming urge to protect her chase away the fear cast nor saw him rising to his feet. He took a few steps forward, reared back the hammer in his right arm, and released it with all the strength at his command. Luvin’s throw was perfect and the hammer smacked directly into one of the daimon’s glowing eyes.

  The scream of pain was so loud it nearly deafened them. The body became so transparent they could now see through it and it shrunk so fast it could no longer hold Gallif captive. She fell to the ground, but Luvin was there and kept her from hitting the rock floor.

  The daimon had diminished enough that Blinks could strike it in the head with his long sword. It kneeled over and countered two of his attacks with its curled horn, but two other attacks left long scars in its face. As it stumbled Jakobus reached out and pulled Gallif’s frost sword from the beast’s chest. He feared wherever the beast went it would take her weapon with it, so he sl
id it away to where she sat. Luvin was sure that Gallif was safe so he ran and picked up his hammer and joined them in the attack.

  Between their weapons and Lincilara’s ability to distract its aim the daimon was soon the size of a large human and nearly invisible. They closed in hoping to finish it off, but it had one more trick they were unprepared for. It reared its arms back as if it were going to strike simultaneous, but the arms suddenly became very powerful wings.

  The wings beat rapidly, and it was soon in the air out of their reach, but it was clearly not going to retreat. It flew at them and knocked Jakobus to one side with a brush of its body. It changed direction incredibly fast and lunged at Lincilara trying to swallow her whole inside its fanged mouth.

  It rose until it nearly touched the roof and looked down on them. It was out of reach and took its time picking its next target. Until it screamed and dove they didn’t realize it was headed for Gallif as she slowly tried to stand. They missed taking desperate swings at it as it drove at her and Lincilara’s attempt to distract it by flying in its face also failed.

  They could barely see what was left of it as it screamed and tried to claw at Gallif as she raised her frost sword to protect herself. Then it suddenly vanished, and silence fell. They all ran and surrounded Gallif, but Jakobus and Blinks stopped a few steps back.

  “Look at us,” Jakobus said quickly. “Let us see your eyes.”

  Gallif looked at them and they all sighed at the sight of her clear green eyes.

  “They’re not glowing red, are they?” she asked. “No, there’s no daimon in me.”

  “Then where did it go?” Blinks asked.

  They all looked around for any sign of the daimon but found none. The fact that Gallif’s eyes had not changed colors meant the daimon had, most likely, not inhabited her body so there was still a great concern as to where it had gone.

  “Could it have returned home?” Luvin asked. “It was beaten pretty badly.”