by Sam Ferguson
“The giant beast opened its feline mouth, emitting a low growl as it stalked into the circle of light. Ravenel’s eyes widened when the garunda bared its saber-like fangs in a roar that all but deafened the large archer. The cat was easily at least six hundred pounds, more than any Khattuun he had ever fought, or any mountain cat he had ever heard of. Spikes jutted out from the beast’s shoulders, and its skin rippled taut over thick, corded muscles. There was no fur on the demon; it was just a black mass of twisted muscle and fangs.
“Ravenel knew he had to act while the firelight still blinded the beast. He brought the bow up and pulled the arrow back. He loosed the arrow with blinding speed, and the shaft buried deep into the beast’s neck. The garunda shuddered and leapt back away from the hero, landing squarely in the burning oil.
“The beast shook its head wildly and screeched a shrill wail as it batted at the flames with its massive paws. Ravenel didn’t miss a beat. He loosed the second arrow, piercing the other side of the garunda’s neck. Then he stepped in quickly, slicing and striking furiously with his axe across the cat’s right side. Lines of green blood appeared on the obsidian body, but it did little to stem the beast’s fury. In an instant, the cat reared back on its hind legs as it stood and roared, as a bear might do, then it sent a pulse of magical energy that knocked Ravenel backward through the air, smashing him against the stone wall.
“Ravenel shook his head in an attempt to regain his senses. He was still standing, barely, and he had even managed to keep a strong hold on his bow and axe. The cat leapt through the air, fangs bared and claws out. Ravenel somersaulted to the left, slashing out with his axe and catching the garunda in the right foreleg. The beast howled and crashed into the wall head-first. It turned, growling wickedly and lowering its head with its black ears flat against its skull. It took two steps forward and then started to twitch violently. Ravenel could see the muscles cramping in sharp spasms and knew immediately that the paralyzing toxin was beginning to work on the monster. Ravenel dropped the axe and quickly nocked another arrow. He fired upon the beast one, two, and then three times before the garunda fell to the ground. It yowled and wailed horribly, but it could no longer move. Ravenel grabbed his axe and ran in to finish the beast with a quick chop to the neck.
“Green, acidic blood spurted out from the wound and burned Ravenel’s hand. Quickly he scraped the ooze off with the back of one of his knives so as not to spread the viscous goo further on his skin.
“No sooner had he done so than a second garunda appeared in the chamber with him. The cat slowly circled around, hunkering low and ready to spring at any moment. It started to jump to Ravenel’s right, but when Ravenel moved to dodge, the garunda switched directions and lunged directly where Ravenel had stepped. Ravenel just barely managed to escape the trap, but he was unable to counter attack before the cat withdrew out of reach.
‘“Clever kitty,’ Ravenel muttered. He nocked another arrow and took aim for the garunda’s chest. The fire from the first vial was starting to die out now, so he fired the arrow quickly, hoping to at least distract the beast long enough to reach and light the second vial. The garunda swatted the arrow out of the air and roared mightily, showing its pink gums and throat. Ravenel grabbed a vial and threw it to the flames. He heard the glass crack, but it wasn’t enough to set the oil inside aflame. When Ravenel realized the malfunction, he started for the vial, but the beast lunged in the way, snarling with what seemed to be a wicked grin.
‘“Clever indeed,’ Ravenel said. His right hand went up for his mini crossbow and he fired at the beast’s face. The garunda arched back to dodge, but the bolt sunk deep into the beast’s chest. The cat roared in anger and reared up on its hind legs. Ravenel then drew a dagger and threw it at the garunda’s exposed underbelly. However, the garunda unleashed a powerful shockwave that knocked the dagger backward, and sent Ravenel flying back again to the opposite wall of the cave.
“Ravenel felt his ribs bend under the pressure as he was crushed between the magical blast and the rock wall of the cave, but he focused enough on the fight to keep from blacking out as the pain rippled through his body. The garunda dropped heavily back down to the ground, but accidentally crushed the vial underfoot. The newly spilt oil caught flame and the cat was enveloped in fire. The garunda flopped onto the stone and howled in agony. The fire grew on the beast as the burning oil clung to its skin.
“The hero set his bow down. His chest and back hurt far too much to draw the string back anymore. He loaded the mini crossbow as quickly as he could and fired repeatedly at the horrid beast. Each bolt slammed into the cat with a sickening crack, sending it twitching and recoiling over the flaming oil. Each jerk of its massive body seemed to take more and more of its remaining energy until finally, after several shots, the beast lay mostly still upon the stone, save for the occasional spasm that often occurs after death.
“Ravenel cautiously walked up to the smoldering beast and, with one swipe of his axe, smote off its head just to be sure that it would not somehow rise from its condition and follow him down the tunnel. This time he was careful to avoid the spray of sizzling blood. He went back to grab his bow, and took a moment to stretch his torso against the aches and stabbing pain that still reverberated through his body. Then, before moving farther into the cave, he dipped his arrow heads into the garunda’s blood, hoping it might give him an advantage over the shade he had yet to face.”
Kyra broke here and flattened the book on her lap. “Still think he’s a coward?” she teased.
“Continue story,” Leatherback said quickly.
Kyra picked the book up, quite pleased that she had managed to capture Leatherback’s full attention now. She picked up where she had left off.
“Ravenel followed the tunnel for more than half an hour as it wound downward, spiraling deeper into the earth below. He passed by the torn bodies of many more men as he went. The air grew thicker further down, and there arose a somewhat sour odor as he neared the main chamber, but what surprised him most was that there appeared to be a light coming from deeper inside the tunnel.
“Slowly, very slowly, he came around the final bend into the main chamber, and what he saw almost blew him over. There, standing defiantly in the large chamber, was an ancient temple. It was cylindrical in design, rising up as an oversized support column to the cave ceiling above and joining with it thirty feet above his head. The entrance, a single, enormous, black, stone door, was flanked on either side by oversized granite statues of demonic warriors. So astonished was he that his heart almost stopped beating within his chest. Ravenel then noted several large sconces along the outside of the temple, each of them ablaze, sending light flooding through the chamber.
“A low, yet distinct growl alerted him to the presence of yet another garunda. Ravenel slowly turned his head to the left to regard the monster, and he was surprised, happily so, to discover the broken shaft of a large spear protruding from the beast’s front leg, along with several arrows embedded deep in her flanks. This beast would not be half as hard to slay.
“The beast continued to growl, but she did not advance, and it was only as she paced sidelong in front of him that Ravenel noticed her oversized belly. This garunda was pregnant. Ravenel thanked the gods for his fortunate timing, for he knew that if the beast had succeeded in giving birth, it would have spelled almost certain disaster for the townsfolk.
“He quickly drew out his mini crossbow, loaded a poisonous bolt, and then let fly for the beast. She tried to dodge the bolt, but she was too wounded to escape. The shaft bit deep into her side, spilling its poison into her blood. Within moments her steps were shaky and her growl was almost inaudible. She roared once, albeit weakly, and then fell onto the stone with her head facing Ravenel. Ravenel then loaded another bolt. He took aim at the beast’s head and let loose. The bolt hit home and sent the beast to the fires of Hammenfein. Never one to take a chance against nature, especially the darker forces of nature, Ravenel retrieved one of the sconces from the outside of the temple
and set it to the body and let the flames consume the evil beast along with her unborn demons.
“A whoosh of air erupted from the temple then as the large, stone door was flung open with ease. Ravenel spun around to see a tall, pale-faced figure standing in the doorway before him. She wore gray and red robes, with her silver hair in a single plaited braid that sat lazily over her shoulder. A pair of wicked scimitars hung at the figure’s sides.
‘“You killed them,’ the shade sneered as it stepped out from the doorway.
‘“I did,’ Ravenel replied as he closely studied the new threat. It was almost hard to discern, but he decided that this particular shade was, or had been at one time, a female elf. Her facial features seemed even more prominent now with her faded and gray skin pulled so tightly against her cheek bones. Her teeth seemed almost serpentine-like as she hissed at Ravenel. Her eyes were bereft of all color, leaving only white orbs to look at. Ravenel knew that those white eyes had led to the demise of many people, for the first few to come against this strange and powerful foe had mistakenly thought that the eyes were sightless. This, as Ravenel knew, was not the case. In fact they could see quite well, better than most of the fairer races of the realm even.
‘“It was the people of Kilistyrin who disturbed my slumber,’ she hissed as she gently floated down over the stone steps to the floor of the chamber, her gray and red cloak flowing out behind her. ‘I have slept here longer than those pathetic worms have walked in the sunlight, and now you think you can desecrate my temple without recompense?’
“Ravenel felt his legs go weak. His very energy was being drained from him magically by the shade. His large, muscular frame soon felt weak all around. His mind went cloudy. He reached up to put his hand to his head, but as he moved he brushed against the handle of his dwarf-forged hand-axe. Suddenly he felt a new surge of energy rush through him. He grasped his axe and loosened it from the harness on his belt. He hoisted it in front of him and was amazed to see the old runes come alive, almost burning with a blue glow about them. He knew instantly that the dwarven magic had somehow stopped the assault on his energy.”
“Dwarven weapons are the best,” Leatherback said with a satisfied hiss.
Kyra smiled and continued. “The shade shrieked as she realized that she could no longer suck Ravenel’s life force from him. ‘Your magic won’t save you,’ she snarled. The shade rushed forward through the air in a blur, eager to devour Ravenel’s energy. Down she descended, hard, as she raked a clawed hand out for Ravenel’s face. The hero deftly moved his head back, just out of reach, and swiped forward with his hand-axe. The blade connected solidly, swiping off a few of her fingers as it passed.
“The creature howled with a head-splitting pitch that all but shattered Ravenel’s eardrums as she leapt into a backwards somersault away from him. To his horror, she grew new fingers almost in the blink of an eye. She then hissed again, even flicking her tongue like a snake as she conjured forth a black fireball and sent it flying toward Ravenel.
“Though he dove aside, the fire grew larger to defeat his dodge. His legs felt the searing heat as the flames ripped through his clothing and licked at his flesh. The smell of burnt hair assaulted his nostrils as he rose to his feet in time to see the shade’s mouth moving, conjuring another spell.
“Ravenel quickly put an arrow to his bow and let the arrow fly. The garunda’s blood sizzled and crackled as the arrow streaked through the air and sank into the shade’s stomach. The horrid creature’s eyes went wide and she stared down at the arrow with her white eyes.
‘“How could you know?’ she whispered harshly.
“Ravenel scrunched his brow for a moment and then realized that the garunda blood prevented the shade from healing. He looked down at his axe and remembered that he had wiped the blood from the blade before putting it back in its harness. He looked to the pregnant garunda, but the flames had already consumed the blood. He dropped the axe and reached for another arrow tipped with garunda blood. He let them all fly, sinking each shaft into the shade’s chest.
“With every blow, the shade shrank away, screaming and howling in pain. She tried to send magical assaults, but they only fizzled and died before she could launch them. When Ravenel sent the last arrow, he reached for his mini crossbow and fired. The shade took a hit directly in the forehead, the force of the blow jerking her neck and skull backward as it sank in deep. A slight sizzling sound was made as the shade remarkably pulled the bolt loose from her head. With the exception of a slight burn mark, her skin appeared as if nothing had touched her. She also removed the other arrows and dropped them to the ground.
‘“You are better than the others,’ she said. ‘But you shall die here.’
“Ravenel’s jaw hung open in disbelief as he watched her toss aside the bolt that surely would have killed any other creature. He had no other blood-tipped arrows, so he let fly with another bolt, then a second, and a third. The shade simply laughed wickedly at his futile attempts to slay her. Although all of the bolts had hit their marks, nothing seemed to faze this creature.
“Ravenel looked around the chamber, desperately searching for anything that might help him. There was nothing to be found, and soon Ravenel caught sight of another fireball zooming toward him. He did the only thing he could think to do. He ran. He only stopped for a moment to scoop up his axe to protect himself from the shade’s life-drain spell.
Leatherback lifted his head and spat a small amount of blue fire out from his mouth. “He needs more garunda blood,” he said.
Kyra nodded and continued reading. “Wicked laughter followed him as he sprinted out of the chamber and around the corner of the tunnel. The fireball seared the stone wall as it slammed into it with full force, showering Ravenel in sparks and bits of hot stone. He could hear the laughter coming closer and he knew the shade was stalking him. He sprinted up the winding tunnel, dodging the occasional fireball thrown by the shade. His lungs began to burn from the exertion, but eventually he made it to the small chamber where he had defeated the other two garunda beasts. He dropped down next to the first body and opened it with his axe, allowing the blood to spill over the blade. Quickly he dipped the last of his crossbow bolts into the sizzling ooze and loaded his mini crossbow.
“The laughter stopped. Ravenel huddled low in the darkness and waited as he heard the heavy breathing of the vile shade. His heart pounded within.
‘“Can you feel it?’ the shade whispered in the darkness. Suddenly a ball of blue fire appeared and bathed the area in magical light. No sooner did Ravenel see the shade than he took aim with his crossbow. The first shot missed, and he had to duck behind a stalagmite to avoid the shade’s magical fire. As the fire roared around him, he reloaded the mini crossbow with the last bolt. The blood on the bolt burned his fingers, but he pushed the pain out of his mind.
“In a fury of motion, Ravenel leapt to his feet. He dashed around the corner and ran straight for the shade. He swiped out with his axe for the creature’s head, but he missed the mark and barely sliced the creature’s left shoulder. The shade hissed and recoiled away, but not quickly enough. With his left hand Ravenel levelled the mini crossbow at the shade and fired. The bolt bit deep into the shade’s chest. He could hear bone cracking under the force of the shot. The shade’s skin and tissue sizzled and crackled as a small fire ignited on her chest. The shade howled and writhed in agony. Ravenel brought the axe back up and drove it into the shade’s neck, severing her head from her shoulders. The shade’s eyes rolled back into her head and smoke wafted up from the blistering neck hole.
“Ravenel stepped back from the corpse and watched as a faint, green light emitted from the wounds. Within moments, flames shot out from the shade and the body was soon reduced to ash. His breathing eventually slowed and the ache in his side started to ease up. He replaced his axe, gathered his bow, and made his way to the mouth of the cave. When at last he emerged to the quiet forest, he fell to his knees, overcome with exhaustion.
“He slid bac
k to rest against the mouth of the cave for the night. As he slept, the cool night wind rejuvenated his body and soul. He woke with the first light of the sun and made his way back to Lirian with the good news. He was welcomed with a hero’s parade, and given a large ransom for his reward. As for Lirian and her people, they returned to the cave and collapsed the entrance, and were never bothered by garunda or shades again.”
Leatherback let out a triumphant roar as Kyra closed the book.
The young apprentice reached out and stroked Leatherback just behind the jaw. “So, all we need to do now is find a garunda beast. If we can find one, we can use its blood to make a poison for the shade. Then, we can kill it.”
The dragon let out a throaty growl. “Talk later, priests coming.” He flicked out his tongue and his nostrils flared.
Kyra knew better than to argue with him. He was always able to sense them before they arrived. She quickly slid the book back into her bag and pulled out a brown, leather-bound book of folk tales. The last thing she wanted was for the priests to catch on to what she was after. So, from that moment until they came to perform their examination, she read from the book of children’s stories.
Chapter 5
Feberik walked toward the large door flanked by two large, stone gryphons that seemed eternally frozen in the moment just before flight. He stared at the large, iron ring which hung against the wood of the Headmaster’s door. The large man took in a breath before reaching for it. He thought back to what he had done at Caspen Manor, reliving the experience briefly in every smashing detail. Even then he had known he would be held accountable for his actions. It hadn’t seemed to matter then.
Now, as he stared at the iron ring, he nodded his head, comfortable with the decision he had made at Caspen Manor, and prepared to take whatever was coming to him. He lifted his left hand and rapped on the door twice while his right hand reached out and pushed the door open.