Pepper realized the attacks on the body of the cave spider were not very effective and told the remnants to gouge out the creature’s eyes. They obeyed. The remnants charged toward the eyes of the creature, climbed up one of its eight legs, threw sharp objects at the eyes, and kept its focus away from the betnoirs. Katimi was among the betnoirs standing his ground and fending off attacks from the cave spider as they came while the others tried to clear a path to escape through the worms.
The worms did not just stand in the way but attacked the demons as well. They thought the worms were on their side, but something else had possessed them into attacking. For a brief moment the demons were concerned about the issue. The danger of the situation kept their minds from wandering too far. After using up their weapons in the attacks, the demons took their sharp claws and pierced the worms. Goo of brown or green came out of the worms and made the ground slippery. The creatures slowly fell one by one. The demons felt a sense of hope as they became victorious over the treacherous worms. The cave spider continued its onslaught behind them. A path through the spiders was cleared, but when the demons turned around to inform their comrades they were struck with a great horror. The remnants were piled up and bodies of the betnoirs had been crushed and mutilated. The giant cave spider was now after them. Katimi desperately searched for Pepper, but he was nowhere to be found. He took command of the betnoirs and told them to flee through the worms’ opening because a fight against the cave spider was certain death.
Out of fear and without their captain, the betnoirs followed Katimi’s command. They ran through the opening in the worms in just enough time before they closed up the wall. The wall of worms was not enough to stop the giant cave spider. Moments later, its pincers pierced through a section of the wall of worms and slung them out of the way. The remaining demons took off in a sprint through the Deadwind Canyons and spread out. The trolls watching from inside their caves had vanished. They didn’t want to see the carnage, nor did they want to become a part of it.
A dragon flew over the betnoirs and landed in front of them. They thought they had to battle with another foe and felt certain death was imminent. A familiar voice called out from behind the large head of the dragon. It was Pepper. “Get past the dragon and take cover, NOW!” His last word was forced into a scream for he knew that the demons were terrified and weren’t sure what to think. They needed direction.
The dragon raised its wings and faced the oncoming giant cave spider. It was not about to lose the battle. Pepper gave the dragon a pat with his right hand and the behemoth opened its mouth. A swirling ball of purple and white flames filled the cavity. It was intensely bright and Pepper could feel the heat and his entire body began to sweat in an instant. The dragon spit the fireball into the cave spider’s eyes and it exploded into hundreds of smaller fireballs. Each smaller fireball took hold of a different part of the cave spider’s body and began to melt its outer layer. The spider reared in pain and shrieked. It was a deep gurgling sound that made the fleeing betnoirs experience a sense of hope. The dragon struck again with another blazing fireball. More and more of the cave spider was set afire and it started to turn back toward the hole in which in came through. Pepper kept patting the dragon with his right hand and encouraging it not to stop attacking. The dragon did as it was asked. Pepper did not know why the dragon came back to help them, but in that moment he did not care to think about it too much either. As the dragon chased the cave spider back into the underground, elated cheers from the betnoirs could be heard. Pepper felt that all the credit belonged to the brave dragon and started to think of ways he could repay the dragon for its courage and kindness.
* * *
Angela had found her way through the Dark Forest and back to the ruins of Centuria. She looked at the destruction that had taken place and it overcame her senses. The feelings of rage and pure hatred disappeared from her soul and she snapped back to attention. Her eyes returned to their normal color, and she wondered how she got to the place she once called home. The feeling and thoughts were overwhelming. She could not remember what had happened since the evening she had cooked dinner for her husband and a group of warriors. The last thing she remembered was the arrival of a group of people was announced and now she was alone at Centuria. She felt the world spinning around her and she dropped to a knee to keep from falling over. Then it struck her like a thousand lightning bolts. Her last thought that she could recall was that of her orange crystals. The orange crystals were a project she was working on for the wizards at the citadel in Khalan. She was to keep it a secret and not even tell Gathar about it. Keeping secrets from Gathar was very challenging for her, but she knew that the task was too important to share with anyone, although she wanted to desperately.
Instead of heading back to Chugean, she felt the urge to visit the catacombs in which she had conducted her experiment with the orange crystals that sapped all magical abilities from anyone or anything that got too close to them. She knew it was not far from where she stood, but the power of the crystals was something she desperately wanted because she hated magic that much. She also remembered that the entrance she was familiar with was at the edge of the swamp and guarded by an ettin. Ettins had a reputation of being very powerful and did not have a very good long-term memory, even with two heads, and they were not known for being wise.
Angela made her way across the ruins and tried to ignore her surroundings and the terrible thoughts that tried to take over in her mind. She kept her focus on getting the orange crystals and vanquishing magic for good. She felt that gaining the power to sap away the magic abilities from someone would benefit everyone.
Birds circled overhead but did not make a sound. She only noticed them because they cast a shadow on the ground near her as they flew around. Desperately she wished for a bow to shoot them down. Although she longed to be caring for the Éan she did not care for the smaller birds. The Éan was the only bird she actually liked. She promised herself that when she returned to Chugean she would bargain with the wizards to return the bird to her after it had healed in exchange for the orange crystals. She thought of the plan and bargaining over and over in her head until she felt that her part was perfected and there would be no way they would refuse her offer.
As she made across the ruins and followed a path to the swamp, the urge to move faster took hold. She stepped up her speed and was breathing heavily. The dangers of the swamp did not discourage her, nor did the approaching night. She was determined to get into the catacombs. The ettin was standing guard at the entrance just as she remembered. She wondered if the ettin ever left its post to take care of itself. It had to, she thought. The ettin heard her coming and approached her with club in hand.
“What goes there?” the ettin asked.
“It is I, Angela Ippantekina. Creator of the orange crystal.” she responded. It was a phrase that they rehearsed many times to help the ettin remember and to keep unwelcome guests from entering through this opening.
“Enter, my lady Angela. I will lead the way.” The ettin wrapped the end of its club with a cloth and turned it into a torch to light the way into the catacombs. Angela had forgotten about the magic spell that was cast upon the entrance by the wizards of Khalan. The ettin wasn’t the only line of defense they had set up. After she entered the catacombs, a curtain of semi-transparent blue covered the entrance. It was then that she remembered the spell made it appear that a boulder of solid rock appeared to anyone that walked by. Passerby would not see an entrance into the cave that they started to venture down. Unknowingly, her daughter, Megan, was traveling down a cave tunnel at the same time in another world. Angela paused for a moment as she felt a cold chill that made her shiver as she thought about Megan. She had suppressed the thoughts of Megan for too long and it hit her like a stone to the face. Vivid memories made her hesitate. The ettin asked, “What is it?”
“My daughter. I felt my daughter. Is she here?”
“No one is here but you and me,” the two heads grunted.
Angela took a deep breath and let her shoulders drop. It was no use arguing with an ettin or even trying to explain what her feelings had told her to one. She heard the steady drip of water down the tunnel. It was one of the signs that she had set in place to help guide her back to the location of the orange crystals she had hidden in the catacombs. Then she heard something else. It was a faint sound, but because she could not see so well her hearing improved. She recognized it as the shuffling of feet from someone that was not too tall in stature.
“We are not alone,” she said quietly to the ettin. The ettin had heard the sound too and Angela noticed the clench fist of its free hand. He handed the torch over to her and told her to stay behind him. As the ettin handed over the torch, she could see that both faces wore a frown and seemed to be extremely angry. Angela took it as a sign to remain quiet and let the ettin do its job, which was to guard the orange crystals with its life. The ettin had no other purpose. Shadows moved by in the dim firelight ahead. Angela jumped and moved the torch to cast more light down the tunnel. The ettin did not need the torch to see for it was nocturnal and could easily see in the dark. It was another reason the wizards of Khalan had chosen the ettin to stand guard at the entrance to the catacombs. It was able to sleep and stand guard at the same time. One head would sleep during the day and the other would stand guard at night.
Angela moved the torch side to side in the tunnel as they ventured deeper. They heard a voice whispering, and they both stopped. The ettin said to Angela, “Allow me to go ahead and clear the path.”
“Okay.” She nodded as she answered. The ettin, with its muscular and oversized body slid away into the darkness. Angela felt completely helpless. She had no weapon, no magical abilities, and the only thing she felt could be useful in a fight was the club torch she carried in her hand. She didn’t want to risk using it as a weapon for it was the only way she could see in the darkness of the catacombs. Angela felt a chill down her spine again. The creatures creeping through the darkness had found a way to sneak behind them and approach from behind. The ettin came running out of the dark tunnel ahead with its fists clenched and raised. She could tell that the ettin was in a rage and coming at her with full speed. She ducked out of the way and watched the ettin disappear into the darkness that was behind them. It was not a moment later that two goblins were tossed into the firelight. Angela could hear bones breaking and the screams of the small creatures as the ettin literally beat them to death. She moved the torch closer to the goblins lying in front of her and noticed their eyes were red and blank. She let out a slight gasp but was grateful for her protector. She knew that she needed the ettin in order to get to the crystals in one piece. The demons had stretched their powers to even the creatures of the dark caves.
The ettin came back into the firelight with blood dripping from its mouths. Angela was unsure if it was the ettin’s blood or the blood of its victims. She dared not ask either, but she did ask the ettin an important question, “I’m sorry, but I should have asked earlier. What do they call you?”
“Humanress.”
“Thank you, Humanress.” The ettin bowed his heads and gave a slight bow. Angela felt a little embarrassed that she did not know the ettin’s name, but he didn’t seem to mind that the question was just now coming up. He rolled his shoulders as if preparing for round two and moved ahead into the darkness once again.
“We are close,” he said from out of view. Angela moved ahead feeling anticipation of finding the orange crystals and giving them to the wizards of Khalan. She strongly believed that the ability of the crystals to sap magical energies was going to be a blessing for Palatovia.
They followed the path without any more incidents or encounters. Angela gave the torch to Humanress and walked over to the orange crystals. They had grown larger than she remembered. She asked Humanress to break apart a few pieces so she could carry them back. She knew she couldn’t ask Humanress to carry any, because his duty was to guard the catacombs’ entrance. They gathered shards of the crystal and headed back out of the catacombs through the path in which they came in.
Chapter Eighteen
Megan felt her body floating in the air. She opened her eyes to see a black sky with no clouds, no stars, no moons or sun. There was nothing to see but darkness. She tried to scream and nothing came out, but she felt her body take a deep breath. The air was not warm, cool, dry, or wet. It was neutral. She tried to turn her body but was unable to do so, but she was able to turn her head. She felt her body thrust in one direction out of her control and a voice calling her name, “Megan! Megan!”
She closed her eyes and tried to block the voice out for she could see nothing and no one around her. When she reopened them she was in the arms of a giant in an underground cavern lit by firelight. Riese was holding her in his massive arms trying to wake her. It was his voice that she heard. She blinked a few times as he set her down feet first. “What happened?” she asked as she tried to shake the feeling of being weightless and disoriented.
“You had bad dream. Screaming in sleep. Body thrashing,” he grunted. “I tried to wake you but talking alone wasn’t enough.” He walked over to a pot full of boiling water and poured some into a chalice and threw in some green tea leaves. “This will help.” He handed her the chalice and she carefully took it in her hands expecting the cup to be overwhelmingly hot. The design of the chalice was well insulated and kept the heat of the water inside. Megan sniffed the drink before taking a small sip. The warmth was comforting and it felt like magic. A sensation spread over her body just from the small amount of tea she swallowed. Riese let out a giant laugh and told her, “Don’t feel pressured to drink it all at once. Even a small amount will calm your mind.”
“I feel it already.” she said softly. “Thank you.” A bead of sweat appeared on her forehead and she wiped it away with the back of her left hand. The drink was so potent it was making her sweat without doing anything else but drinking it.
“When you finish and feel better, I have a place to take you. There are more humans gathered in a city not too far from here. I thought it best you rested before making the trip to this city.” He took a deep breath. “It is a tough trail even for a giant to travel.”
“Can you tell me more about them? Are they kind?”
“Ha, ha! Kind? Not to a giant. I am unwelcome in their home. They tolerate me, but do not want me to stay with them. They fear that I would go savage at any moment. You will have no trouble being accepted by the humans in this place. From what I know, they take in all who seek refuge.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It is the life of a giant. We giants are few on this earth and tend to prefer the independent life. Not much can harm us and we are born with traits to survive in even the harshest of lands.”
Riese packed a few supplies he thought that they would need into a fur sack and gave it to Megan to carry. She gratefully accepted it putting her faith in the giant for a safe journey. They walked down one of the corridors she remembered they had entered through. He snapped his fingers, and the torches in the room they just left went out. It was at that moment she realized the giant had magic abilities. She no longer wondered how the giant took to living such a secluded life without desiring companionship or even a helping hand. With his brute strength, intelligence, and magic skills he really didn’t need much more to survive. She also understood what it was like to be an outcast from society and she pitied him.
Riese grabbed a double-headed hammer off the wall as they approached the entranceway that was hidden from the outside world. The memories of her brief time with the giant started rushing through her thoughts. She remembered being terrified of the dangers outside and the giant had saved her. He took her to his secret home and let her rest in his safe haven after her cave dwelling had been demolished and she had nowhere else to go. Dread and hope filled her mind simultaneously and she didn’t know whether to smile or frown. Riese took notice and reassured her that the humans would accept her and give her a place to s
tay. He walked past the skeletons lying on the ground and climbed up a short ladder to the door in the ground. No light passed through the opening until he pushed it open. It was a bright and sunny day. The sky was a blue color with a slight hue of violet. Megan knew she was not on Palatovia when she first arrived through the vortex that had sucked her away during the battle in the Great Plains. Dirt fell through the opening and into Riese’s face. He blew it away and brushed it off. Riese moved quickly up the ladder and ran outside before Megan could even start up the ladder.
She heard his feet rustling outside as if he were fighting something. The rustling was followed by a single screech and a thud. Megan thought the worst. She hesitated and wasn’t sure whether to climb the ladder or wait. She worked up the courage to climb and find out what had happened regardless of her own safety. Too afraid to call out and ask, she decided that climbing the ladder quietly and peeking over the edge was the best way to discover what had happened. Her heart started pounding and beating fast. The adrenaline in her blood made her feel flush. She grabbed the ladder rings one at a time and silently moved upward.
Megan peeked over the edge and could see Riese standing there with his back to her. He was still alive. She felt great relief. Megan looked beyond Riese and saw a panther standing in an offensive stance ready to pounce at him. He showed no fear of the creature but remained still waiting for the attack. Megan finished climbing out of the hole and took the double-headed hammer out of Riese’s mighty grip. She ran at the panther and screamed while raising the hammer as high as she could. It pounced at her without hesitation and she brought the hammer down on its head. The crushing blow jarred her arms and forced her to grip the handle more firmly. The panther lay still on the ground and appeared to be dead. Megan moved the hammer back and stared at the panther’s chest waiting to see if it rose again. It did not. She let out a heavy sigh and said a prayer for she believed all living things had a soul. Riese walked up beside her and patted her shoulder. Then he reached down and took the hammer from her grasp. “We will get you something more your size,” he said to lighten the mood. She gave a slight smile and his job was done.
Rise of Centuria Page 18