The vase of Darkness was left to seethe.
3 Dru
“Are you sure we’re not going around in circles?” Cierra complained, checking the bracelet for the millionth time.
Dru suppressed an irritated sigh. The girl hadn’t been quiet for more than two minutes at a time. He was used to travelling alone and found the silence of solo travel comfortable. He’d had precious little silence since he’d met Cierra.
He looked around to try and get his bearings, knowing that if he didn’t answer her question, she’d ask it again. “I doubt it. It’s hard to tell with no sun or stars to guide us, but the charm should know where to go. Just keep following it.”
They reached the top of a slight slope as he finished speaking. Relieved, he pointed. “See? We’ve made it.”
A few metres away, the plain came to an abrupt stop and patches of grass could be seen again. It grew more abundantly the further from the desert it got. In the near distance, a dull glint gave away the position of the lake. A chill breeze ruffled the grass. Dru didn’t really notice it, but he saw Cierra shiver and pull her cloak tighter around herself.
“Why is it so much colder all of a sudden?” she asked.
“The lake is frozen over,” he explained. “Ever since the Darkness claimed it, it hasn’t defrosted once.”
Cierra peered closer at the lake. “What’s that, in the middle of the lake?”
“That’s the Crystal Palace, home to the royal family.”
“The royal family? Where are they now?”
“In the castle, frozen along with the lake and everything else.”
“Frozen?” she gasped. “How do they survive?”
He shrugged. “I’d guess some sort of protective magic might be helping them. That’s assuming they are still alive.” He desperately hoped they were. Elturia was going to need its King and Queen very soon.
“What will happen to the Councillor if the royal family is freed?”
Dru didn’t answer straight away, considering the question. “I’m not sure,” he admitted at last. “With the Darkness on his side, the Councillor is too powerful for them to take on. They could try to assert their authority, but they would risk angering him and bringing more Darkness down upon themselves. Their subjects won’t be much help either - they are all too afraid of the Darkness. The only thing that is going to stop the Councillor and the Darkness for good is that bracelet.”
Cierra was quiet. “So we’re this Kingdom’s only hope,” she said finally.
“Yes.” He watched her face, trying to read her expressions. What did she really think about all of this? Did she think it was all a dream? That at some point she’d wake up and be back in her room? Dru had often wished that this could all be a nightmare and that he could wake up and find everything back the way it had been. But he knew that it wasn’t possible. This was happening, the Darkness was real. He had to protect the only thing that could save them, at any cost - the bracelet.
And the girl? His conscience stirred. Doesn’t she need protecting?
Dru huffed. Of course she needed to be protected. He was protecting her. She had to be the one to place all the charms. If the prophecy was to be believed, only the bearer of the bracelet could make the magic work. He would make sure she was safe in order for her to fulfil her part of the prophecy. That was all.
Still watching her, he saw Cierra’s dark green eyes take on a determined shine and she began walking down the slope towards the lake. “Let’s not waste any more time then. I think Elturia has suffered enough.”
He paused before following. You need to tell her, his conscience prompted. She deserved to know. Yes, the bracelet was the key to saving the Kingdom, but she didn’t know the rest of the story. She didn’t know what would happen at the end. He hovered for a moment, then came to a decision. She wasn’t in any immediate danger at the moment. It wouldn’t hurt for her to continue as she was doing. If the occasion presented itself, then perhaps he’d tell her. Otherwise, best to leave it alone.
Besides, it was a choice between one girl and an entire kingdom. His kingdom.
Decision made for the time being, Dru hurried to catch up, shaking the thoughts from his head as well as the unreasonable feeling of guilt that had seemed to settle over him. He needed to focus on the present moment.
“Are those crystals?” Cierra asked as they reached the edge of the lake. She pointed at the thousands of small stones on the shoreline.
Dru nodded. “Hence the lake’s name. The lake’s water has different minerals in it and forms the different coloured crystals. It’s the only lake in the world that has these properties. The Lakestones are very sought after by healers and magic users in the Nine Kingdoms of Alkadhara.”
“There are thousands!” she said. “Why don’t they come and collect them for themselves?”
“There used to be people called Collectors who were employed to pick up the crystals and send them to the palace for sorting.” He stopped, thoughts of the past two years crowding into his head. The first appearance of the Darkness, its slow takeover of the kingdom, the desperate, futile fight against it. His part in actually helping it take hold.
“Dru?” Cierra’s voice broke through his thoughts. He looked down at her. “You were saying?”
“Um.” His mouth seemed a little dry. He swallowed. “Since the Darkness took over, the Collectors stopped working. For good reason, too.” He bent, picked up a crystal and tossed it to her.
She examined it. Dru didn’t need to see it to know that it would be flawed, veins of Darkness threading through it. Cierra held it at arm’s length, as if afraid that it might hurt her, seeming to sense the evil in it.
“Even though the lake is frozen over, it’s still producing these crystals. As you can see, they’re worthless. Less than worthless. No one wants a Lakestone that has been Darkened.”
“That’s why there are so many of them,” Cierra said, understanding. “No one dares to come and collect useless crystals. It’s not worth it.” She dropped the one she had been holding, rubbing her hands over her cloak.
He sighed. “These crystals were one of the main sources of income for Elturia. The Darkness appeared here first; maybe because of the crystals, or maybe because it’s the home of the Royal Family and the Councillor wanted them out of the way.”
“I think we’d better go and rescue the royal family,” Cierra said, holding the charm up. It pointed straight ahead, at the island castle in the middle of the lake. “How do we get there?”
Dru scanned the area. “There are usually small boats to ferry visitors across, but they won’t be any use with the lake in this condition.” He stepped out onto the icy surface of the lake. The ice held. He went a little further. It was dense and opaque for as far as he could see. They wouldn’t have any problems walking across it. He turned to Cierra.
“The ice is thick,” he said, holding out a hand to help her on. “It will hold our weight.”
She looked distrustfully at the ice. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” he replied. She still hesitated. “I won’t let you fall into the water, Cierra. If the ice breaks, I’ll lift you out of harm’s way. You know I can do it.”
She looked at his hand, then up at him. The trust he saw in those green eyes brought back all the guilt he’d buried away. He couldn’t do it. He had to tell her.
Before he could open his mouth, she took his hand and carefully stepped out onto the ice. She immediately lost her balance on the slippery surface.
Dru reacted without even thinking, catching her and setting her upright again. “Careful! Might be a bit slippery out here.”
Cierra’s face flushed. “Shut up, Dru! Not all of us are as sure-footed as you.”
“Not all of us are as clumsy as you!”
She tossed her head indignantly, then realised her mistake as she started to slip again. He caught her easily, eyebrow raised.
She glared at him. “Keep moving, Dru.”
With a sligh
t chuckle, he took her hand and led her across the ice, catching her whenever she slipped. He, on the other hand, didn’t lose his balance once.
He felt a slight tug on his hand as Cierra paused. “Dru, did you see that?”
He turned to her. “See what?” he asked, looking around.
She pointed to the ice under their feet. “I thought I saw a shadow moving down there.”
Dru looked down, trying to see through the rippled layers of ice. He couldn’t see anything, but he knew from experience that not seeing something didn’t mean that it wasn’t there.
“Keep an eye out,” he told Cierra. “If you see it again, tell me immediately.”
She bit her lip. “Is there something living down there?” she almost whispered. “How can it survive under the ice?” She was shivering.
“There mightn’t be anything, it could have been a reflection of the sky,” Dru told her. He doubted it, but a terrified, hysterical girl was the last thing he needed if there really was a threat. It seemed to calm her down a little anyway.
They kept walking, both of them keeping an eye on the ice. Cierra froze. “Dru,” she whispered.
“I see it,” he murmured. Just as she’d said, a huge shadow passed underneath the ice, right under their feet. Cierra didn’t make a sound as he let go of her hand and drew his sword. He watched the shadow. It disappeared off to their right, but a few seconds later it was back. It stopped. They were standing right above it. Neither of them moved.
A thud resonated through the ice. Cierra let out a small yelp, but Dru ignored her, concentrating on where the thud had come from. Another pounding thud, this time accompanied by cracking noises as the ice started to give way. A third thump. With the fourth, the ice broke, and a huge tentacle reared out of the water. Cierra screamed.
The tentacle whipped forward at incredible speed. It twined around Cierra’s waist and raised her up high, preparing to plunge into the icy depths.
“Dru!” she shrieked.
He didn’t waste a second. He jumped forward in a powerful leap, swinging his sword in a wide arc. The blade sheared through the massive tentacle as if it were butter. The severed limb went limp and let go of Cierra. Dru caught her in mid-air, crashing back down to the ice. It splintered beneath him, threatening to give way.
Below them, the creature roared, the enraged sound muted by the water. Dru backed away quickly from the hole in the ice, still carrying Cierra. He needed to get her out of the danger zone. But how could he do that when the entire lake was the danger zone? The shore was too far away, a fact that this crafty monster had probably taken careful note of.
A frenzy of thumps made the ice vibrate. More tentacles broke through the surface, snaking towards the two of them.
In a fluid movement, Dru placed Cierra behind him and faced the oncoming tentacles. In a blur of light, the sword spun, beautiful but deadly. In a matter of seconds, three of the tentacles lay writhing at his feet. The muted bellow came again and another two tentacles broke the ice.
The surface of the lake was becoming treacherous now. Cracks were forming and widening with alarming speed. Every time the creature pushed through, it made the lake more unstable.
Hardly thinking about it, Dru cut one of the tentacles, and parried the second, using the slipperiness of the ice to spin away quickly. He caught Cierra up in a one-armed grip and pulled her out of the way of an advancing crack in the ice. He released her and parried again. He only scored a small scratch, but the tentacle pulled back.
Five tentacles lay scattered on the ice, all of them oozing a thick black substance.
“There’re only three tentacles left,” Cierra said, wobbling on the unstable ice. “Do you think it will risk coming after us again?”
Dru glanced at her. Three? It dawned on him and he shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t your usual octopus. It’s a tetrapus; it has fourteen tentacles.”
“Fourteen?” Cierra exclaimed. “That means... another nine to go!” As she said this, five tentacles crawled out of the icy water.
Dru narrowed his eyes at them. They weren’t attacking. They rose out of the water for a good four metres, deep red suckers pointing directly at him and Cierra.
With a hiss, hundreds of tiny darts shot from the suckers. In a flash, Dru deployed his shield from the casing on his arm. He knelt behind it and pulled Cierra down with him, tucking her close against him. A second later, the darts clattered against his shield. His first instinct after it stopped was to get up and peer over his shield to assess the situation, but a slight hiss made him pause. After a two-second wait, another volley of the tiny missiles slammed into his shield.
This time, as soon as the last dart fell away, Dru jumped up, keeping his shield in front of his body, but his head free. The tentacles waved tauntingly at him. A huge shadow rose up behind them, angry yellow eyes glaring at him. The tetrapus’s head.
Dru had never seen such a large specimen. Tetrapi in general grew to about two metres and none of the creatures he had seen had ever been able to shoot darts. They had poisonous barbs, but certainly not the type of weapons this monster was equipped with.
The suckers pulsed and another wave of darts flew at him. He ducked down, pulling Cierra close again.
“Take the shield,” he told her, unclipping it from the arm device. “Keep it facing this way and hold it tight.” The darts hit the shield. Cierra took it, trembling. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and was surprised to see that her face wasn’t fearful as he’d expected, but concerned. Concerned for me?
The second wave of darts stopped and he leaped up and over the shield. He heard Cierra gasp and cry out his name. He knew it was risky to leave her with just his shield, but he could only get to the creature if he was on his own.
He raced forward, nimbly avoiding cracks in the ice and using the slippery surface to go faster. The tetrapus saw him coming and angled all of the suckers towards him. Dru took a deep breath. Time slowed as adrenaline kicked in.
The suckers released. Dru flew forwards. With incredible speed, he nipped through the onslaught of weapons, somehow making it through without a scratch. This made the monster even angrier. It fired again.
Dru was almost upon the creature now. He leapt, twisting through the air, finding an impossible path through the darts. He came down, using the momentum of his fall to drive his sword as far as possible into the tough skin of the creature’s head.
It screamed in agony and writhed, tossing Dru and his sword aside. He executed a back-flip in the air and landed in a crouch, sliding on the ice with the momentum of his fall. He held his sword ready.
The screaming creature thrashed, breaking up more of the ice, trying to reach him. It was too weak. Dru’s blow had been fatal. It roared one last time then gave up, sinking into the depths of the freezing lake.
Dru stood, warily watching the churning water. Was the creature trying to fool him? Would it rise up again and attack? After a long moment, it seemed unlikely. The tetrapus was dead.
“Dru!” Cierra was standing some distance away, looking as if she was clinging to his shield for support. His eyebrows shot up as he saw she was standing on an ice floe in a rapidly widening moat of water. “A little help, if you wouldn’t mind!”
He couldn’t help but feel amused as he sauntered over to her. “What are you playing at?” he asked her. “We don’t have time for paddling on the lake on ice floes.”
She glared at him. “Get me off this thing! It’s going to tip over any second now.”
He easily jumped the gap and landed lightly on floating island. It wobbled alarmingly and Cierra dropped the shield and clung to him. He grabbed the shield before it could topple into the water and jumped back to the more stable ice, taking both the girl and the shield.
She seemed reluctant to let go of him, until he gently pushed her away. “You’ll be fine.” He reattached his shield to the arm device and it folded away into its compact travelling form. He looked back at Cierra.
<
br /> She stood, shoulders hunched, staring at the tentacles that were starting to dissolve into the black powder that dead Darkness creatures always turned into. After a shiver, she turned to look at him.
“You’re bleeding!” she exclaimed, instantly concerned.
Dru lifted a hand to his cheek. It came away bloody. When had that happened? He pulled a small cloth from his pocket and dampened it with lake water, wiping at the wound. It stung when he touched it.
“Give it here, you’re making a mess,” Cierra told him, taking the cloth from his hand. She reached up before he could protest and dabbed carefully at his cheek. “One of the darts must have got you. Although, I can’t say I’m surprised. What were you thinking dashing out in the middle of all that? You could have been hurt much worse than this.”
“I’ve been trained for that sort of thing. I know how to avoid it. Most of the time,” he added.
“I still think it was an idiotic idea,” Cierra insisted. She pulled her hand away from his face. “There. The bleeding has mostly stopped.”
Dru tenderly touched his face. Now that he thought about it, he seemed to recall a slight sting in the last volley that the tetrapus had released. He hadn’t taken the slightest bit of notice of it at the time.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the bloody cloth and rinsing the worst of the blood from it. He wrung it out and stuffed it into a pocket. “Let’s get going. These rifts are getting larger.”
They both turned towards the castle and started walking. Dru lifted Cierra over the wider cracks that she couldn’t jump. She continued to keep a constant grip on him, slipping every now and then on the ice.
Dru glanced up to see how much further it was to the castle. He blinked a couple of times, his vision slightly blurred. He could see two castles for some reason. He shook his head, trying to clear it. The movement made him nauseous and he stumbled.
“Dru?” Cierra asked. He could hear the slight alarm in her voice.
“I’m fine,” he mumbled. “Just a bit dizzy.”
“Hold on, we’re nearly there,” she encouraged him. “You might have battle shock or something.”
Part Two - The Monster of Crystal Lake (The Unfinished Prophecy Book 2) Page 3