Fate's Hand

by Lynn, Christopher

  Drask smiled as he sat up. “I am sorry, Arihem. I know you are a creature of action. Sitting in the corner for hours while I experiment and study must be agonizing. Yes, by all means. Let Sirash give me a few trusted sentries and go get yourself into some trouble.”

  Arihem lifted his invisibility to show Drask a large row of fangs fixed in a gruesome smile. He bowed deeply. “Thank you my prince.”

  Daria, Val, and Jerib made it back to the cabin a little after dark. Asher had supper and a fire prepared for them. When the three came in, Asher was over near the window, looking out.

  “There is something out there,” he said.

  Jerib was already wedging a large plank of wood into two slots on each side of the door.

  “I could feel the same thing. The animals in the woods are running like they do before a massive storm,” Jerib said.

  Asher walked away from the window to Rylan. Daria wiped some of the sweat off his chest with a clean rag.

  “That is a good sign. His body is pushing the venom out. Has he kept any water down?” Asher nodded. “Animals came through here all day long. I gave your horse some fresh water and grain to calm her down, but it didn’t help much. I think she hurt herself trying to get out of the barn. She was limping pretty bad.”

  Val and Jerib shared a smile.

  “I’m sure she'll survive. I’m going to slip out the back for a moment. Wait here.”

  As Jerib left, Val began to tell Asher about what they learned.

  “Am I hallucinating again, or did you say you have the hand of a devil prince?”

  Everyone looked to Rylan, who was struggling to sit up.

  “Please, Rylan, lay back down. Save your strength,” Daria said.

  Rylan smiled at her and replied with the most cheerful voice he could muster. “Oh, I’m fine. A little old spider can’t—” Daria put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him into the covers. Rylan smiled.

  “Yeah, I guess I could rest a little more.”

  Daria dipped the rag into a bowl of cold water and continued to wipe down his neck and face. Rylan blushed a little as he turned back to Val and saw the look on his face.

  “So, Val, did anything in your vision give you a clue on how to get your hand back? Or at least get it to stop trying to kill you?”

  “No. All I can say for certain is he took my hand by random chance. He needs it for something. He was anxious to be summoned as soon as he had the hand. Summoned out of the Abyss.”

  Asher said, “A demon swapped hands with you, and your hand has tried to kill you…do you think he could be the thing out—” An owl hooted as it flew off through the trees. Jerib returned to see and Rylan awake. The two smiled at each other and Jerib sat at the table.

  “I talked to one of the few animals still in the area.”

  Daria asked, “The owl?”

  Jerib nodded. “He apparently saw the beast the first time it came through. He says that it’s coming back. And it's close.”

  “Was it the demon whose hand I have?”

  “Oh, no, it is not the demon.” A collective sigh of relief followed this knowledge.

  “It’s a massive three headed dog.” Everyone, even Asher, turned slowly to stare at the old man with wide eyes.

  “We need to get Daria out of here, hide her somewhere safe,” Rylan said, breaking the silence.

  “Where could I go that I would be more safe than I am right here with all of you?” Val, Asher, and Jerib looked at each other for an answer.

  Jerib spoke. “You might be right. Val, if you still have that vial of invisibility, give it to her.” Jerib got up and moved a small stool over by the fire, then removed a small rug to reveal a trap door. He opened it and shined the hidden room with his lantern.

  “This is just a small dirt cellar, but it'll have to do.”

  Val handed his sister the vial. He looked her in the eyes with a firm determination. “I won’t lose you again. When it comes, you hide. We'll get you out when it’s all done.”

  Asher walked over and took the small lantern from Jerib. “I’ll take the first watch. You all get some rest.”

  Asher’s watch came and went, then Jerib watched for a while. Val watched until the sun came up. He looked out the window as the low hanging fog settled in across the ground. The warm sunlight made him feel more at ease. A squirrel ran around the bank of the quiet river, digging for roots. Val sat comfortably in his chair and set his chin on his hand. He closed his eyes and listened to the quiet running water and his friends' steady breathing behind him. The calm moment didn’t last long.

  Far off in the woods was the faint sound of wood snapping. Val's eyes popped open and he peered into the fog. Again, a distant crack rang through the woods as a tree broke and fell. Rylan shot up out of his bedroll and hobbled over to the window near Val. Before the next noise ever came, Rylan called out to the cottage, “Everyone up!”

  “Daria, please get into the cellar. And take him,”

  “I can help. Just give me some troll blood. I can at least act as a distraction. As long as the dog isn’t on fire or spiting acid, I'll be fine,” he said.

  Asher stepped between Daria and Rylan and placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You are out of troll blood. Either way, you are in no shape to fight, brother. Get in that hole and keep Daria safe at all cost. Rylan’s shoulders slumped and he began to protest, but a loud crash off in the distance settled the matter.

  Daria and Rylan climbed into the cellar as the others rushed around, collecting their weapons.

  “I could think of a worse person to share a small dirt hole with,” Rylan said.

  Val stopped rummaging through his pack and shot him a dangerous look. Rylan and Daria were halfway into the hole, looking back at Val with large smiles.

  “I'm just messing with you, friend.” His face turned serious. “I will keep her safe.”

  Val smiled and nodded as the two disappeared into the floor. Asher unlocked the door and walked out, bow in hand. “I’m heading over to that oak near the barn. Jerib, I trust your skills extend beyond scrying?”

  Jerib blew the dust off the staff he had on his mantel and gave it a good whack on the wooden floor. “I remember a thing or two.”

  Jerib watched as Val pulled the orc’s greatsword from the pack and looked down the blade. The dull metal gave a slight shine after having been cleaned and polished. The old wizard walked over and began casting over Val. He felt a warm glow run across his skin and into his flesh. All the sound and distractions seemed to fade as he looked at Jerib.

  “We will be fine, my boy. Let your mind guide you.” Jerib walked out the front door and into the morning light. Val watched him wade through the thinning fog and raise his hands into the air.

  Jerib slowly moved his staff across his body and chanted under his breath. A slight breeze came in and swept the fog away. Val joined Jerib in the field as a large shadow moved through the breaking fog. Asher gave a birdcall from a nearby tree moments before the Cerberus came into sight. Jerib ignored the creature, planted his staff into the ground, crouched down, and continued to chant. Val watched as the beast slowly walked into the clearing and sniffed the air. The Cerberus gave a sharp sniff and all three heads snapped to look at Val.

  It growled lowly and continued toward the men. The leftmost head broke its gaze away to look into the trees by the barn. The rightmost head scanned the house. The middle head held its stare deep into Val’s eyes.

  The Cerberus came three spear lengths away from Jerib and stopped, bringing its head low to the ground and its hind quarter high, preparing to pounce. The Cerberus seemed to smile as it showed its teeth and gave out a loud bark. The massive beast lunged at Jerib as the wizard was still crouched and unprepared. Its paws came down with a thunderous pounding on the ground, and in Jerib's place were three illusions standing between Val and the beast. The three Jeribs stood defiantly holding staves that crackled in the air with built up energy.

  Arrows were in the air befor
e the dog made its choice of action. Asher’s arrows bit into the back of the Cerberus’ leg and back. The dog gave out a slight whimper and snapped at the protruding arrows, but couldn’t reach them. The three heads turned their attention back to Jerib as it dashed forward. The far left Jerib looked back to Val

  “Strike it now.”

  The Cerberus saw this and veered to that Jerib. Val took off running to the leftmost image to intercept the beast. As the dog brought his powerful jaws across Jerib’s body, the illusion dissipated to reveal Val bringing his large sword down across the back of the beast. Arrows rained down and the other two Jeribs turned and released the staff’s energy into the exposed side of the hell hound. The Cerberus was blown back and rolled across the ground.

  Asher ran over to stand next to the two men as they looked at the scene. The beast was smoking from the blast of Jerib’s staff and the large gash in its back was bleeding dark red blood. Broken arrow shafts protruded all across the dog’s body. One of the heads rose up as it growled. The cut across its back and the burnt skin began closing up and reforming to sleek black fur. The arrow shafts began pushing out of its body as it brought its legs back underneath itself and pushed up. The Cerberus once again stood before the three men and all three heads growled as the broken arrows fell to the ground.

  The two Jeribs began casting and said, “We are going to have to step it up, boys.” A Jerib reached back and placed his hand on Asher’s quiver.

  “That will poison your arrows. Don’t touch the tips. Hopefully that won’t be so easy to regenerate. Val, don’t cut at it, chop its damn head off.” The dog didn’t wait for the three men to finish regrouping. It charged ahead at Asher. Val brought his weapon up to cut off the attack as Asher unleashed several arrows into the beast's neck. Jerib began casting another spell. At the last moment, as Asher dove away to avoid the Cerberus, the large beast dug in with its front legs and leaped at Val.

  Caught off-guard by the the large muscular chest slamming into him, Val was sent spinning through the air. As the young man landed hard in the muddy bank of the small stream, the dog pounced once again. Val fended off one of the snapping jaws, but another bit deeply into his leg. Asher’s arrows came in fast, hitting the beast across its necks. One arrow plunged deep into the head pinning Val down. The volley urged the dog to withdraw and paw viciously at its face, trying to dislodge the arrow.

  Jerib finished his spell and he and the remaining mirror image began waving their staves overhead, calling out to the other men to get clear. Asher helped Val to his feet and they ran toward the cabin to join Jerib.

  “This will only slow it down for a moment. Prepare for another attack.” Jerib released the spell he had built up, thrusting his staff in the direction of the Cerberus.

  Rocks from the river began vibrating, then shot up in the air and began pelting the dog as it continued to scrape the poison arrow from its eye. The large beast growled low and pulled its heads in close, covering up as it waited out the shower of stones. Asher pulled out a potion and handed it to Val before readying another arrow. “Drink it quick; it will help with your leg.”

  Val took a small bounce on it. “I don’t think it’s hurt that bad.”

  Asher’s eyes passed over Val briefly. “That is just the rush of battle talking. Look down.”

  Val saw the large pool of blood building around his foot. He panicked and almost dropped the bottle trying to remove the top. He chugged it and felt a warmth run down his throat and across his extremities.

  “Here it comes,” Jerib called as the beast gathered itself to attack once again, fully healed. Val walked to the side, away from the two men, to flank the monster. One of the heads tracked him as the other two watched Asher and Jerib. Asher took note of Val’s tactic and walked in the opposite direction. Jerib tapped his staff on the ground and it began to glow and thrum. The dog lowered its head, the hair on its back rose up, and it advanced on the wizard. Val waded in to intercept the Cerberus. Asher brought his bowstring back and took aim. The last illusion of Jerib faded out as he began a new spell. The dog stopped and growled low at all three men.

  Jerib very calmly finished his spell and dropped the staff to catch it with his foot. His hand glowed with a dull green. He bent down and gently placed his hands on the ground. The glowing disappeared from his hands and faded into the dirt. Jerib grabbed the wooden staff and stood back up. He took a deep breath and held the staff at the ready.

  "Well, come on, dog."

  The Cerberus clawed the earth and took out in a full run at Jerib. Asher released several arrows into the beast’s hindquarter, causing one of the Cerberus heads to yelp as it stumbled. Val took the opportunity to charge the beast and hack down in a large overhand swing at its back leg. The Cerberus saw him and tried to turn to intercept the blow. Green glowing vines shot up from the ground and wrapped around the dog's legs, pulling him down and binding him to the ground. The vines grew and continuously wound up around the beast's body, holding it in place. The Cerberus strained and clawed at the vines to get loose.

  Val used his time and hacked away, concentrating all his swings on one section of the dog’s leg, trying to sever it while Asher continued to hail arrows into the side of the Cerberus. As the arrows tried to push out, he drove more arrows into the existing wounds to keep them from closing up. He landed one shot, splitting an arrow in half and driving both deeper. The Cerberus buckled from the onslaught of attacks and let out a blood-curdling scream. Jerib was at the heads of the beast and released a burst of energy from his staff into the open mouth of the dog. Val finally hacked off its back leg, then used the momentum of his swing as it broke through the flesh to swing his sword high into the air for another attack. The beast finally pulled its side head free and snapped at Val.

  Drenched in blood, Val jumped to evade the snapping jaws and slashed his greatsword down across the Cerberus’ neck. The weapon dug in deep and gave a resounding crack as the dog’s neck bone snapped. The head went limp and hung lifeless as the other two heads whipped themselves into a frenzy trying to break free of the winding vines. Raging, Val continued to hack away until he severed the Cerberus’ head. He took a step off the severed head and leaped onto the beast’s back. The vines wrapped around Val’s legs, binding him to the creature.

  Asher fired his last arrow and dropped his bow before it landed. He ran to the side of the dog and grabbed the arrow shafts as they tied to push their way out, jamming them farther in. The Cerberus’ skin began to swell and blacken as the poison took effect. With one back leg trying to regenerate and the other one severely crippled, the beast finally collapsed to the ground. Jerib dropped his staff and began shouting out a new incantation as he fell to his knees. He placed his hands on the ground a few steps away from the Cerberus and continued to chant.

  Val hacked and slashed, rending the flesh of vine and beast alike. The constant attacks to the magical vines began to weaken and thin them out. Jerib finished his spell and jabbed both hands into the dirt. Larger, thicker thorny vines sprouted up across the beast and fell down across its body, crushing it with their immense pull. Val jumped off the creature’s back as the new vines constricted, digging their thorns deep into the skin of the beast. The Cerberus let out a wheezing, gargling cry as the pressure of the vines crushed his body.

  As Val was crouched down catching his breath, he looked to the Cerberus’ stump and saw a new leg beginning to grow.

  “It’s still regenerating!”

  Jerib watched as the beast strained under the vines, still very much alive.

  “Cut off the heads!” Jerib ran toward the cabin as Asher and Val began hacking away at the neck of the Cerberus. Jerib emerged, dragging two larger swords into the fight. He called out and tossed a blade to Asher as he used the other. Val grunted, his arm burned, and he felt like it couldn’t move anymore, but he pushed through the feeling until he finally cut off the middle head and moved over to help Jerib and Asher, but the two men made their final cut and severed the last hea
d from the dog’s body. Jerib’s hand, covered in blood, dropped the sword and the man fell on his rear, breathing heavily.

  “Rylan is going to want some of this blood,” Asher said with a chuckle.

  The vines holding the beast stopped moving and began to turn gray and crack all over. The Cerberus’ body turned pale and melted into a pool of dark liquid. As the puddle began soaking into the dirt, the vines crumbled and withered away.

  “Is it done?” Asher asked.

  Jerib relaxed his grip on his staff and held it instead to support his weight. “Yes, it is returned to the abyss.” “You mean that didn’t kill it?” Val asked.

  Jerib touched the blackened soil as the last of the liquid disappeared. “No, it is dead. But when a demon of the abyss dies, it is returned to its plane of existence.”

  “A demon? That was a Cerberus, right?” Val asked. His arm felt like he had been chopping wood for days.

  “What would a Cerberus want with us?” Asher asked. Val, covered in demon blood, looked to them with unsure eyes and then looked at his hand.

  Drask was listening as the imp relayed every detail of the battle to his mind. He sat on the edge of his bed, his hands clasped before his face in anticipation. When the imp went silent and Drask sensed the panic run through his brain, the demon prince stopped breathing. The mental connection to the imp was suddenly ended, and Drask quickly realized his Cerberus was dead. The imp was either dead or removed the ring, knowing Drask would vent his rage through the weak demon.

  Drask stood up, ripped the ring off his hand, and threw it against the floor. His mind raced, and without thinking, he conjured the first spell that came to mind. A powerful wave of hot sulfuric air exploded from his hands, destroying everything in his room. The only thing that kept that section of the tower from collapsing was the magic of the tower itself. Broken glass and splintered wood rained down as his spell ended and Drask finally stopped screaming.