The Dark Monolith

by F. P. Spirit

  Donnie thought it over for a moment, then nodded. “Very well.”

  Alana, unhooking her sword belt, came around and placed a hand on his shoulder. She spoke to him in a soft voice. “I’ll keep watch over her.”

  Donnie gently got up, holding Ruka’s head still until Alana knelt down in his place. The lady knight folded the tails of her surcoat over her armored legs, making a comfortable cushion, then Donnie placed Ruka’s small head on her lap.

  “I won’t be long,” Donnie promised, glancing down at the still form of the fragile young teen. Without another word, he spun around and headed off toward the colossus’ feet.

  Above the Colossus

  Everything on the floor of the cavern will be crushed—including your precious little friends

  Glolindir held Elistra gently in his arms as they watched the desperate scene before them. The seeress was right, the young dragon entangled with the giant serpent had indeed been Ruka. Just as Glo had suspected, the human girl they were all used to was not Ruka’s natural form. Still, dragon or human, Ruka was Ruka. She was their friend, she was in trouble, and she needed their help.

  Donnie had just left to investigate the stairwell behind the colossus’ foot. With any luck, he would find something down there that could help with their current predicament. Meanwhile, Aksel worked on healing the rest of Ruka’s wounds. He knelt over the young teen, white healing light pouring down from his hands over her poison-wracked body.

  Even so, Ruka would still need some kind of cure for the toxins. The poison would continue to damage her until it was completely out of her system. Aksel appeared to have some kind of plan in mind—Glo was certain he would tell them once he was done healing the young teen. The sudden sound of flapping wings roused Glo from his musings, but before he could pinpoint the source, Elladan cried out in warning.

  “Duck!”

  Glo pulled Elistra down, covering her with his body, just as something strafed overhead. As soon as it passed, Glo swung around, his eyes locking on their attacker. It was the succubus—she had returned to plague them once more. The demoness swung back around, but this time did not attack, instead hovering just out of reach. “Awww, it looks like your little friend there isn’t going to make it.”

  Lloyd growled at the creature, drawing his black blade and falling into a fighting stance. Aksel paused in healing Ruka, and switched places with Alana as the lady knight stood. She drew her gleaming sword and glared at the demoness, her voice like steel. “How… dare… you…”

  The sucubbus placed a hand on her chest, and continued to taunt them in an innocent tone. “Was it something I said?”

  Elistra pushed away from Glo and stomped forward, motioning the evil creature away. “There is nothing more here for you. Go back to your master and tell her you failed.”

  The sucubbus regarded the seeress for a moment, then stuck out her blood red lips and began to pout. “Ohhh… but there are still plenty of toys to play with.”

  Her eyes swept around the group, finally coming to rest on Lloyd. Glo was sure Lloyd could handle himself, but the succubus was fast on those wings. If he fell under her spell right now, it would prove disastrous for them all. Glo knew it wouldn’t really hurt her much, but he pointed his arm anyway. “Play with this—Radius Ardens.”

  A red hot beam of light leapt from his fingertips and struck the demoness square in the chest. She seemed shocked at first, touching the burnt spot with her fingertips, but then she bared her fangs, and hissed at him. “How could you!” The demoness spun around in mid-air and with a great beat of her wings rocketed away, her voice trailing behind her. “I’ll be back...”

  Once she was gone, Elladan turned to face the others, his brow deeply furrowed. “You know, we have to do something about her. If she keeps coming back, sooner or later she’s going to get to Lloyd or Donnie again.”

  Elistra placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to one side, eyeing the bard curiously. “What do you have in mind?”

  Elladan hesitated, a pained expression crossing his face before he replied. “I know it isn’t going to be easy, especially in the air, but we’re going to have to go after her.”

  Elistra narrowed her eyes as she considered the bard’s words. “Who’s we?”

  “I’ll go,” Glo responded immediately. He wasn’t their best flyer, but he still had a few spells he hadn’t used yet.

  Elistra shifted her gaze toward him, and regarded him for a moment or two, mixed emotions playing across her face. Finally, she nodded and said, “As will I.”

  Lloyd let out a short sigh, his shoulders slumping. “I wish I could go, but we all know how that turned out the last time.”

  Alana strode over and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder, smiling at him warmly. “We understand. I’ll go in your stead—that is, if you’ll lend me your cloak.”

  Lloyd glanced up and gave the lady knight an appreciative smile. “Certainly.” He stepped back and unclasped his cloak, and held it out to her.

  Alana smiled at him once more, but held up a hand in front of her. “Thank you, but can you hold onto that for a few more moments? There’s no way I can fly effectively in this.”

  The lady knight pointed out the heavy armor she still wore. Lloyd grinned for the first time since Ruka had been hurt. “Probably not.”

  As Alana divested herself of her armor, Glo peered skyward, his eyes soon finding the succubus. She was flitting around up by the colossus’ head. Abruptly, she disappeared from sight. Glo shifted his eyes back toward the others. “I think we should go on ahead, or we run the risk of losing her.”

  Elistra eyed Glo once more, but then gave him a short nod. “Perhaps you are right.”

  “Go on ahead,” Alana told them, as she peeled off her armored greaves, “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Glo gave her a nod and cast the fly spell upon himself. Elistra summoned an astral construct that looked vaguely like a horse-sized hummingbird. She swiftly mounted it and glanced at Glo. “Ready.”

  The wizard gave her a brief smile, then nodded to the others. “Here we go!”

  A number of things ran through Alana’s head as she swiftly doffed her armor. She had never had many friends growing up, life revolving around her family and training to be a knight. Alana never thought she needed more, knighthood being her life’s ambition, yet something had changed in the last few days. These “Heroes of Ravenford” were an unregimented, and sometimes unruly bunch, but their camaraderie was infectious, and their teamwork exceptional. Still, there was something more to them—they were true friends, beyond what she had found amongst her fellow knights.

  Alana had grown closer to them as the days passed, especially Elistra. She had shared things with the seeress she would never have told a fellow knight, not even the lady knights. Then there was Donatello—a warm smile came to her lips as she thought about the slight elf—his attempts to “woo” her had been corny at first, but they started to grow on her. Donnie had a roguish charm about him, and he had slowly, but surely, won her over. And most recently, she discovered a protective side to herself, in particular when it came to Ruka.

  Ruka. Alana’s eyes drifted over to the young teen, lying still in Aksel’s arms, the little cleric trying to heal her without moving around too much. Alana was not close to the little gnome, but he was a jewel among beings, his caring for the misfortune of others going far beyond the norm. Alana didn’t know much about the Soldenar, the goddess of the gnomes, but if she was anything like Cormar, she must be proud to have Aksel as one of her followers. Lloyd’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  “Can I help you with that?”

  Alana had gotten to her heavy breastplate. She could lift it on her own, but time was of the essense. She nodded to the young man with a genuine smile—he was an excellent sparring partner and a human being of the highest cali
ber. Lloyd would make a fine lord one day, his primary concern being the welfare of others. All Alana had left now was the fauld and tassets. As she doffed the last of it, she heard Elladan speaking to Aksel.

  “Can I lend a hand?”

  The little cleric gave the bard a grateful nod, then carefully switched places with him, thus freeing Aksel to heal Ruka more effectively. Alana caught Elladan’s eye and gave him a grateful nod. His good looks had thrown her at first—she’d thought him a preening peacock, but the bard had proven her wrong. He was actually rather humble, with a boyish charm about him that was nearly as appealing as his handsome features. He had truly surprised her, though, with his attempt to allay her concerns about Donnie the other night. The bard had far more depth than most would give him credit for.

  Alana let out a huge sigh as the last of her armor came off. She now stood in linen underclothes, her feet covered with woollen stockings. She re-donned her surcoat for a modicum of protection, then spun around for her backpack. Alana pulled up short, Lloyd standing there holding her spare pair of leather boots.

  “Is this what you’re looking for?”

  Alana gave him another smile and gratefully accepted them, quickly pulling them on. She stood and belted her sword around her waist, then took Lloyd’s cloak and fastened it around her shoulders. Alana grasped the edge in her hand, spoke the word Lloyd had taught her, and steeled herself as she lifted off the ground.

  Far above, Glo was having a hard time with the succubus. The winged demoness was quite at home in the air, banking, weaving and diving around him as if he were standing still. Glo had already missed her with one ray of fire, a miscalculation he had paid for with blood. The succubus had caught him with her sharp claws, raking his chest as she dove past. Yet it might have been worse, if Elistra hadn’t been right on her tail. The “hummingbird” she rode was nearly as fast as the succubus, and its long pointed beak looked deadly. The winged demoness had made it a point to steer clear of that lethal beak.

  The succubus had drawn Elistra off, then quickly turned for another pass at Glo. She banked and rose upward, taunting him as she closed. “You can’t hit me, little elf. The air is my domain!”

  The demoness was right—she was way too fast for his ray of fire. Still, fast or not, Glo knew something that wouldn’t miss. He aimed his fingers in her general direction and spoke two words, “Nullam Telum.”

  Three purple projectiles erupted from his fingertips, one after the other. They spiraled down toward the succubus, following her every move. The demoness tried to bank away, but all three missiles veered after her. They finally caught up with her, exploding with concussive force as they connected with her midriff. The succubus reeled at each explosion, causing her to momentarily flinch. After the last one, she righted herself, a wicked smile crossing her red lips.

  “Do you really think that would stop me?” she said in a mocking tone.

  “That may not, but this will!” a familiar voice cried.

  Glo looked down and saw Alana just below them, her holy sword gleaming as she rose through the air. The demoness’ eyes went wide, her wings beating wildly as she scrambled to get away, but Alana was too close. The lady knight’s sword sliced through the air, its tip catching the succubus along her torso. The succubus flitted away and screamed in pain, a wide gash across her upper abdomen.

  Alana stopped and spun around, her sword readied as she hovered a few yards away. Elistra pulled up at the same time, reigning in her mount on the other side of the succubus. Dark blood seeped from the open wound across the demoness’ stomach. Her mouth agape, she reached down and touched it with her fingers. She pulled her hand away, her eyes wide as she stared at her fingertips covered in blood. A snarl escaped the demoness’ lips, and she bared her fangs, her dark eyes shifting toward Alana.

  “You fool! Now you’ve done it. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you all.” The demoness hissed at Alana, then launched herself upwards, her wings beating furiously as she rose.

  “Follow her! Don’t let her escape!” Elistra cried.

  The three of them took off after the succubus, trying to keep up as she rose higher and higher. They followed her past the catwalk, over the head of the colossus, and beyond. The cavern ceiling grew steadily closer, a giant stalactite coming into view. The huge stalactite hung from the cavern roof, directly over the head of the colossus. The succubus continued her ascent, flying up the side of the giant formation.

  “Where’s she going?” Alana cried, as the three of them continued to give chase.

  Glo silently wondered the same thing. He peered ahead at the fast approaching ceiling, his eyes focusing on a dark circular patch near the base of the giant stalactite. It was too round to be a natural formation—it had to be a door. Elistra must have seen it at the same time, the seeress crying out, “She’s headed for that hole in the roof!”

  The three of them were only a short way behind as the succubus reached the door in the ceiling. She paused there a moment, as the door slid opened, then disappeared inside. Glo, Elistra, and Alana reached the door a few moments later. Light filtered down on the three of them through the open doorway. Glo started for the door, but Alana placed herself in his way. “Let me go first.”

  Glo glanced at Elistra, the seeress responding with a short nod. Glo shrugged, then turned back to Alana, motioning her forward. “Very well. Lead the way.”

  The lady knight flew up through the doorway, Glo right after her, and Elistra behind him. The trio came up on the side of a wide circular chamber, numerous crates spread around the room in a large circle. Long cables extended from each crate like the spokes on a wheel. At the very center of the “wheel” stood a single switch, similar to the ones in the element rooms above. The succubus stood next to the lever, a saccharine smile on her lips.

  “You see this little switch?” she practically purred. “One little pull and all these nice crates around the room will explode.”

  Glolindir glanced around the chamber once more, his eyes going wide. There were sixteen crates that made up the circle, each large enough for a person to sit on. That’s a lot of explosive power. He exchanged a nervous glance with Elistra and Alana. If she pulled that switch, none of them would get out of here alive.

  The succubus knew she had them at her mercy, yet she continued to gloat. “Oh, and that’s not the worst of it. That giant stalactite is just below us. So when this room blows, the stalactite will fall.”

  Glo’s breath caught in his throat, the blood draining from his face. If that huge stalactite falls…

  The succubus finished his thought for him. “It will shatter the colossus, causing a huge avalanche of stone. Everything on the floor of the cavern will be crushed—including your precious little friends.”

  Glo found himself speechless, there was nothing he could do. Alana, however, tried to reason with the creature. “If you do that, you’ll destroy yourself along with us.”

  The demoness threw back her head, and let out a wicked laugh. She fixed her eyes back on Alana, a hand on her scorched and bleeding chest. “Oh, this body will be, for sure. I’ll be banished to my home plane for a while, but no, little girl knight, I will not die. I will return to rule this world when you are nothing but a sad memory.”

  Alana’s face went pale as she realized the truth of the demoness’ words. The creature stared at her with obvious satisfaction, still reveling in the upper hand that she had finally gained on them. She gloated for a few moments more, then placed a hand upon the switch. An evil smile graced her lips—she licked them and said, “Might as well get this over with.”

  Glo had watched the entire exchange, feeling utterly powerless to stop the inevitable. Now, in these final moments, he wanted nothing more than to hold Elistra. He went to grasp the lovely seeress, but abruptly halted. Elistra’s brow was furrowed with concentration. Glo had seen that look before, just as she was about to
unleash a psionic power. Beyond hope, he spun around to see three crystalline coils appeared out of nowhere, and constrict around the unsuspecting succubus. She was bound into place, unable to pull the switch. The demoness screamed in frustration. “No! You cannot stop me now! Not when I’m this close!”

  The succubus struggled fiercely against the bonds, straining to break free from their hold. Elistra gasped, sweat forming on her brow as her concentration began to waver. “I can’t hold this for long! You have to finish her now!”

  “I’m on it!” Alana cried, launching herself across the room.

  Glolindir took a deep breath and set his jaw—he would do his part to save his friends. He cleared his mind, lifted an arm, pointed straight at the succubus, and spoke the words, “Radius Ardens.”

  A red hot beam leapt from his fingers and shot across the room, catching the succubus square in the chest. She screamed and writhed in pain, but the crystalline coils still held her fast. A moment later, Alana reached her, holy sword poised to strike. With a great cry, she brought it down, and with all her might, cleaved the demoness nearly in two. A shrill scream erupted from the creature’s lips, but was suddenly silenced as she disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. The light expanded out in all directions, shining so bright that Glo had to shield his eyes. A few seconds later, it faded away—there was not a trace of the foul demoness left to be seen.

  Alana, still hovering in mid-air, spun around to face them. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. “Phew, that was a little too close.”

  Glo grinned at the lady knight, then turned to smile at Elistra. The seeress returned his warm smile, then suddenly wavered, nearly falling off her mount. Glo rushed forward and grabbed her around the waist, steadying her in her seat. The moment of dizziness quickly faded, and Elistra smiled up at him, snuggling into his arms.