by Sam Ferguson
Footsteps approached her door and then stopped. A knock sounded against the wood. Two taps and then the latch clicked open.
“Kyra?” Kathair’s voice called out. “Linny told me you were back.”
Kyra peeked out from under her elbow and nodded. “I’m here,” she said flatly.
Kathair entered the room and then closed the door. “Seeing you now, I take it you haven’t seen Leatherback today?”
Kyra shook her head and pushed up to a sitting position. “No, and I don’t know when, or even if he’ll turn up.”
“Bah,” Kathair said with a wave of his hand. “For all the time you spent with him before he hatched and afterward, you may as well consider yourself his mother. He’ll be back before you know it.”
Kyra didn’t respond.
Kathair held up a rolled parchment and smiled. “Besides, I think I have a lead on that garunda we need.”
“We?” Kyra echoed skeptically.
Kathair nodded. “You didn’t think I would let you face the shade alone, now did you?”
Kyra shook her head. “Kathair, honestly…”
Kathair shook his head. “Hey, I stopped sneaking up on you, I even knocked just now,” he said as he pointed to the door. “The least you can do is call me Lepkin.”
Kyra smiled. “All right, Lepkin, but I don’t think you should come with me. It isn’t exactly the same as sword practice.”
Kathair nodded. “I know that, but we’re friends. Your fights are mine too. Now come on over here and take a look at this.” Kathair unrolled the parchment to reveal a poorly drawn map.
“You make this yourself?” Kyra asked.
Kathair grinned. “I never said I was an artist, but it gets the job done. Look here.” He pointed to a square on the parchment that had the label ‘Caspen Manor’ written next to it. “This is your old house, where the recent attack took place. Over here,” he said as he pointed to a mess of circles drawn squished together, “is where you found the egg. Remember the wraith that attacked you there? Well, I think this might be the best range to search in for the garunda.”
“You mean the miles and miles between the two points?” Kyra asked with a shake of her head.
“Well, yeah, but I already did the research. I wouldn’t come to you if I didn’t have a more specific area to search.” He pointed to a pair of squares that were nearly in the middle between the first to points. “This is Midton, a fairly good sized city. I overheard that there have been strange attacks during the nights there. Not every night, but a lot of them. I also did some research and discovered that there are a couple of foothills nearby the town. In those foothills is an old, abandoned silver mine. It’s the perfect location for a garunda.”
“If the garunda is there, then so is the shade,” Kyra reminded him.
Kathair shook his head. “From what I have read, shades can’t abide by silver. Something about it irritates them, weakens them, or harms them, depending on the book you are reading. I think this might be a stray garunda.”
“A stray?” Kyra questioned. “And where would you get the idea that there can be stray garunda beasts roaming the countryside?”
Kathair smiled wide and produced a book from the back of his trousers. “I may have borrowed one more journal from Headmaster Herion’s office.”
“You are going to get caught if you keep snooping around like that,” Kyra said.
Kathair shook his head. “Nah, I always put them back when I am done. Anyway, this journal has a passage on garunda beasts in it. It says that it isn’t uncommon for the animals to stray away from their master at times. And, listen to this,” Kathair said excitedly as he flipped to a page that had a small ribbon pressed into it for a place marker. The young man cleared his throat. “Garunda beasts who stray from their masters are often wont to hide in silver mines, where they can rest easy knowing that their masters will be averse to following them inside due to the adverse effects they would suffer.” Kathair turned the book around and handed it to Kyra. “You see, it’s perfect. I located a garunda beast that is alone, and has no shade to help protect it. With any luck, we can kill it, take its blood, and then we can hunt the shade.”
Kyra smiled wide. She would prefer that Leatherback go with them, but she couldn’t pass up this chance. The only question was how to get there.
“Are we going by horse, or am I going to try and teleport us there blindly?”
“Can’t you send us both there?” Kathair asked, his smile fading somewhat.
Kyra shrugged. “I haven’t tried to take another person with me before. I’m not sure it would work. Also, I have to have been at the place once so I can visualize it, and even then I can only cover medium distances.”
“You’ve never been to Midton?” Kathair asked.
Kyra shook her head.
Kathair frowned, pouting out his lower lip and drawing his brow into a tight knot above his nose. “We could go by horse then,” he said. “It’s only a few hours’ ride from here. The sun hasn’t gone down yet. If we hurry, we can make it by nightfall.”
“Do you have a horse?” Kyra asked.
Kathair grinned that boyish, impish grin of his and his blue eyes sparkled with delight. “Follow me,” he said.
The two of them wound their way out into the courtyard and snuck along till they reached the stables. A pair of large horses nickered as the two of them approached. One of the horses Kyra recognized.
“This is Feberik’s horse,” she said as Kathair was busy grabbing the saddle.
“Yep,” he said as he tossed the saddle up and onto the horse. Then he bent down and began fastening the straps.
“I don’t want to take his horse,” Kyra said.
“Why not?” Kathair asked. “If it can carry his giant backside, it should easily be able to get us to where we need to go.”
Kyra stifled a laugh. “No, it isn’t that, it’s just I don’t want to ride his horse. Let’s take this other one.” She pointed to the large paint in the next stall over.
Kathair shook his head. “Can’t take that one.”
“Why not?” Kyra asked. “Whose horse is it?”
Kathair shrugged and yanked on the saddle, testing it before he leapt up onto Feberik’s horse. “I dunno, but you see those beads woven into the mane?”
Kyra looked around and saw three red beads woven into the horse’s hair. “Yes,” she said.
“That is a special kind of horse. I don’t remember the name of the breed, but they are raised at Cedreau Manor. The beads signify that the horse has an owner, and the special thing about Cedreau horses is that they are loyal to one rider for their lifetime. If you try to ride it, it will throw you off, I guarantee it. Seeing as how there are no other horses, that leaves us with Feberik’s horse.” Kathair held his hand down to Kyra. She finally relented, sighing and cursing her luck as she moved around to mount the horse.
Kathair looked around the courtyard once more, and then he kicked the horse into a quick trot out through the open gates. As soon as they were clear of the academy, he kicked it up into a full gallop. They rode for a little more than two hours, galloping over a well-built road that took them directly to Midton. The two of them spent the journey in silence, with only the sound of the pounding hooves clip-clopping in the air.
As Kathair had guessed, the two arrived just as the sun was beginning to touch the western horizon. The bright pinks and oranges lit up the sky as though it were alight with magical flames. A cool wind blew in from the east, carrying with it the scent of cattle fields that they had passed on their way into Midton.
They didn’t bother stopping in the town itself, but rather continued on out the other side, headed for the old silver mine. They reached the tunnel just as the first, long shadows of night began to stretch their fingers across the foothills.
A strange sound came from within the tunnel, something like a roar and a growl mixed into one.
The two dismounted from Feberik’s horse and stretched their legs. Ka
thair drew a longsword and a mini-crossbow. Kyra was armed only with her magic.
“It’s going to be dark in there,” Kyra pointed out.
Kathair nodded. “Well, we can either use light, or we can wait at the entrance and see if the beast comes out.”
Kyra took in a breath and thought for a moment. If they made a torch, it was likely that it wouldn’t give enough light to see the beast before it pounced on them. On the other hand, if they used a magical light, it might alert the beast to their presence long before they ever got close enough to attack it.
“I wish Leatherback were here,” Kyra said.
Kathair nodded. “I won’t pretend that it wouldn’t make me feel better also, but he isn’t. So, what do you want to do?”
“Maybe let’s wait for it. If we sit on top of the entrance and pounce on it when it comes out, then we might have a better chance of catching it by surprise.”
“Sounds good. It has to come out some time for food, right?”
Kyra nodded. “You sure there is only one?” she asked, nerves causing her voice to crack.
Kathair nodded emphatically. “Reports from Midton always claim to see one large, black beast that attacks animal or man after dark.”
The two of them scrambled atop the entrance and sat there quietly, waiting for the monster to emerge. A screen of silvery clouds rolled in front of the bright moon, dimming what little light they had to work with.
Off in the nearby distance, Feberik’s horse whinnied nervously and pawed at the ground.
The two of them waited for well over an hour before they heard anything.
Then, a low growl emanated from the tunnel. It grew louder and louder until they could hear heavy footsteps on the ground. The horse whinnied again and turned to run, its hooves echoing in the night. A black mass of fur and claws came shooting out of the tunnel, snarling as it ran for the horse. Kathair jumped down, but missed the quick beast.
Kyra jumped to her feet and summoned a fireball, but it too missed the speedy demon as it rushed the now frantically galloping horse. A moment later the beast lunged, and the horse was tackled to the ground, screaming and shrieking as the snarling beast ripped into its flesh.
Kathair ran forward a few steps, and then took aim with his mini-crossbow. He fired, and the bolt struck the beast in the left side. It snarled and turned on him, baring its yellow fangs that shone wet with blood in the moonlight. It pawed the ground and took two steps on all fours toward Kathair. The young man lifted his sword to the ready position and called out to the beast.
“Come on then, let’s have us a dance, shall we?”
At that moment, the clouds moved away from the moon, uncovering its full brightness.
Kyra’s heart stopped in her chest and her mouth dropped in horror as she grasped for the words to scream.
The beast rose up to stand upon its back legs. Its torso was wide and muscular, and black fur covered its entire body. Its snout was filled with fangs and its front legs ended in razor sharp claws. It howled into the night air, sending chills down Kyra’s spine.
Then the werewolf charged.
Kyra, still frozen with fear, watched as the beast sprinted for Kathair.
The young man seemed undaunted by his mistake, and ran forward, shouting and yelling. An instant before the two collided, the werewolf leapt forward and Kathair ducked out to the left, swinging his sword up into the creature’s side as he spun safely away.
The werewolf snarled and landed upon all fours again. It spun around nimbly and Kyra watched its hulking shoulder blades rise and fall as it stalked toward Kathair. The young man grinned and held his sword up, ready for another swing.
Kyra finally regained her senses and summoned another ball of fire. She sent it hurtling toward the werewolf, who was caught unawares in the rear. The fire blasted its fur from its body and scorched its rump. It howled and its back legs collapsed under itself. Kathair rushed in and slashed at the werewolf’s neck. The beast recoiled from the attack and the blade managed only to graze the werewolf’s skin. It stood on its hind legs and swung out with its left hand, but Kathair was quick to leap away several feet.
Kyra sent another ball of fire, this time aiming for the werewolf’s head.
The beast ducked under it and came running toward her with alarming speed. It tore up the ground with its furious claws as it closed the distance between them.
Kathair called out for her to run, and tried to pursue the beast, but he was nowhere near as fast a runner as the werewolf.
The monster leapt into the air, claws out in front and fangs close behind.
Kyra summoned a powerful ward and put her hands up in front of her. The beast slammed into a blue orb, scrambling to get atop it and claw at it ferociously. It slammed down with its arms and even bit at the orb, but nothing was getting through.
Still, with each assault on the orb, Kyra could feel the strain of maintaining her spell. Soon a crack formed in the orb and the beast moved to concentrate on that point. A small piece of the orb was ripped away, making a sound like shattering glass. The werewolf howled in delight and then stretched his arm down to swipe at Kyra. The young sorceress ducked low and tried to reinforce the orb.
Just then she heard a feral yell and looked up to see Kathair. He had managed to climb up the side of the hill and was now leaping through the air toward the werewolf. The beast tried to retract its arm and move away, but Kathair was faster. His blade chopped down and severed the werewolf’s arm just inches below the shoulder.
The werewolf cried out and tumbled down to the ground below the hill and writhed in pain. Lepkin bounced off the side of the orb and stumbled down the hill as well. The monster rose up, eyes filled with bloodthirsty rage and it turned on Kathair. It raised its good arm to strike at the young man, who had not yet recovered from his fall.
Kyra shouted out in anger and directed her fury at the werewolf. The orb disappeared and in its place a column of fire swirled out from her hands. The whirling flames shot out like lightning, blasting the monster and lifting it high into the air. The werewolf spun around and around, caught in a fiery tornado of death. It howled one last time and then turned to ash that fell softly to the ground.
The young sorceress then scrambled down to check on Kathair. The young man was lying upon his back and grinning wildly.
“So, I guess that was not a garunda beast then?” he said with that devilish grin.
Kyra thumped him in the chest and puffed air angrily as she walked toward the pile of ash on the ground.
Kathair laughed a couple of times and then hurried to follow after her, placing his sword back into its sheath. “Also, next time we should take Leatherback,” he added.
Kyra glared at him and pulled a glass vial, which had been meant to collect garunda blood, out of a satchel on her belt and scooped up some of the ash.
“What are you doing?” Kathair asked.
Kyra shook her head. “With Feberik’s horse dead, we will need proof that we did something worthwhile,” she replied.
Kathair’s smile disappeared. “Nu-uh, I’m not telling Feberik anything about his horse.”
Kyra corked the vial and stood up. “You would let him think it just disappeared?”
Kathair nodded. “Yep,” he said. “I’ll even let him think a monster killed it, but he doesn’t need to know that I was the one who brought it out here.”
“Let me get this straight, you will laugh off fighting a werewolf, but you don’t want to tell Feberik that you stole his horse, is that what I am hearing?”
Kathair scratched the back of his head. “Maybe we can buy him a new one here and he won’t notice…”
Kyra shook her head and began laughing. “You’re ridiculous,” she commented.
Kathair shrugged. “Call me whatever you like, but I am not telling Feberik, and that’s final. Now, can you teleport us back to Kuldiga Academy, or do we have to walk?”
Chapter 12
Kathair spent most of the next morning si
tting in the chair next to the bookshelf that concealed the ladder leading to the crawlspace beside Headmaster Herion’s secret meeting room. He was busy gnawing on a pear and hoping that Kyra kept to her word and had not ratted him out about Feberik’s horse. Kathair assumed that Feberik would figure it out eventually, but he hoped to be back in the field with the dragon slayers by the time that occurred.
Either way, he had absolutely no plans for leaving the safety of his hidden room today. Dengar and the others were preparing to conduct a routine patrol out to the north, and had given him the option of staying, so there would be no expectations for him to be seen on campus by anyone at all.
He had even been sure to swipe enough food from the kitchen that he could comfortably stay hidden for at least another day if he had to.
After two pears were chewed down to their seeds and stems, Kathair grabbed Headmaster Herion’s journal and tucked it into the back of his trousers. He thought it wise to at least return the book sooner rather than later. If he was going to be hung for stealing a horse, perhaps he could avoid adding being burned alive by an angry wizard.
It was peculiar, really, how much he had changed since coming to Kuldiga Academy. Kathair had always explored before, and been in plenty of trouble with the elves for getting into places that he should never have set foot into, but he hadn’t really ever been a thief before. He had always looked and thought about how to get things from the places he explored or snuck into, but he had never actually done it. He didn’t have to think long before coming up with the answer as to why he was doing it now, though. Even a fool could see he was doing it to impress Kyra. It was working too, but now as he made his way into a small tunnel that he could barely crawl through, and which smelled of mold and stale water, he had to wonder if it was worth it.