by Adam Witcher
Without waiting for a response, the monstrous man charged at Aerin’s phantom form. Isaac realized he’d forgotten that the real Aerin was still standing behind him. The creature lunged with his mandibles outstretched, but when he reached the fake Aerin, he passed right through her.
“She’s not there!” he said. “Tricky bitch. Let’s kill them!”
Hector grimaced. The other two grinned sadistically, murder in their eyes.
“So much for diplomacy I guess.” Isaac shrugged.
20
The monster who’d tried to attack Aerin made the first move. He charged at the group with a recklessness fueled by rage. That was good, Isaac thought. He could use that to his advantage.
“Isaac,” Edwin said, “Let me get one of those gems!”
Isaac grabbed a small one from his bag and tossed it to Edwin. The elf immediately began glowing. Aerin and Rhotha grabbed phantasm gems of their own. Within moments, Rhotha brandished her phantom battle axe. Just as the monster came close, she rushed forward and brought it down onto its front left leg. It screeched in pain, but it didn’t stop coming.
Isaac summoned his phantom bow and unleashed a shot toward the monster’s face, but it missed and volleyed out somewhere into the sea. He took several steps back but bumped into Sunfire.
“Get out of here!” He cried, slapping the horse on the behind. It whinnied, then took off, Moonlight in tow.
Aerin used a phantasm gem to summon a shield, which she used to block the monster’s oncoming attack. It still slammed into her, and she went flying backward into the dirt.
One of the other monsters charged Edwin, and though the elf was shaking, his arms were two enormous blades again. He swung at mandibles when it got close, so it halted its advance and looked him over.
“What are you?” It yelled at him, obviously confused by the transformation.
“What am I?” Edwin said. “Look who’s talking.” His shaking voice betrayed his nervousness.
The first went for Aerin again, who was still recovering in the grass. She rolled to get out of the way when it brought one of its enormous legs down in a stabbing attempt. It dug into the soil so deep that it took the creature a moment to pull it back out. Isaac wanted to help her, but he had other foes to contend with.
Rhotha didn’t wait for an attack. She bum-rushed the remaining two monsters with a bloodcurdling cry, phantom weapon raised for the kill. The one who was not Hector intercepted her, using one of his legs to block the down swing. They wrestled for a moment, and Isaac was glad she’d had the foresight to enchant her strength. He wasn’t sure when she’d had the time.
That only left the Mayor himself, who did not attack right away. Instead, he gazed around at the fray without seeming to know what to do. Isaac drew his bow again and launched it at the mayor. This rocked him out of his stupor, and he narrowly dodged the arrow. He turned to Isaac, face contorting into rage.
“I will not let you ruin this!” He spread his mandibles apart and hissed, so Isaac launched another arrow.
This one did not miss. It buried deep in what passed for the mayor’s neck.
Isaac rushed him. He had no time to see how the others were doing. He dismissed his bow, drew his dagger, and dove for one of the mayor’s legs. Saldana’s blade sliced right through it.
Now under the mayor, Isaac rolled over to dodge one of his legs, which pierced the dirt beside him. Hector brought down another leg, and this time, Isaac was not so lucky. The razor-sharp appendage dug through his clothing and sunk deep into his shoulder.
He screamed. The pain was unlike any he’d felt before. Somehow blazing hot and icy cold, it felt as though the limb was digging about in his open wound, despite it not moving.
The dagger fell from his fingertips and into the dirt. His instincts told him to writhe, but when he did, the pain became worse. His vision went white, his ears only detecting a high-pitched ringing.
“How does that feel, boy?” Hector snarled.
The monstrous mayor removed the leg, doubling the pain once again. But at least Isaac could move. He writhed to his heart’s content.
“I’d go ahead and kill you,” the mayor said, “but you tried to trick me. So I’ll let you suffer a few minutes longer.”
Something slammed into Mayor Hector and knocked him back. A blinding flash of brownish grey that made a dull thud against carapace. Now there was nothing above Isaac, and his watery eyes could make out the clear blue sky above.
Against his body’s better judgement, he sat up. Blood streamed from his shoulder wound, but he tried to ignore it.
“Isaac,” called a familiar voice from behind him. Aerin rushed over and knelt beside him.
“Are you alright?”
“Splendid.” Isaac coughed up some blood and spat it into the dirt. “What happened?”
“Take a look,” she replied.
The first attacker—the one who’d gone after Aerin—was now engaged in combat with a very confused Hector. The two bashed mandibles and hard legs against one another. But Hector was injured, one leg nearly severed, and an arrow wound dug into his neck. It was a one-sided battle.
He shouted to his companion. “Cameron! What in Scorpius’s name are you doing? I’m not the enemy, they are!”
Cameron had no reply. He was too busy slicing his leg into Hector’s midsection.
“How did you…”
“I’ve been practicing,” Aerin said, grinning. “And his mind was weak. Good thing his claws aren’t. Can you stand? Gods, that’s deep.”
“So deep it went all the way through me,” Isaac said. “I can stand, but I don’t think I can fight. Maybe Rhotha has some more of that healing goop.”
He threw his head back to see how his companions were faring.
Edwin—small, nimble elf that he was—was doing an excellent job keeping his opponent busy. However, it didn’t look like he’d done much damage. Each time the beast lunged at him, he jumped or rolled away, but when he retaliated, his blade arm attacks were too timid to get close enough for real damage. He’d managed a few scratches into the monster’s carapace, but the wounds were only enough to enrage him further.
Meanwhile, Rhotha fared better in damage dealt, but she was struggling. Her opponent was down two legs and half of a mandible, but she lunged with a limp in her left leg, and a huge gash had been sliced through the armor between her breasts. Though she still fought with as much fervor as ever, her face betrayed her pain.
Isaac eyed the battlegrounds for Rhotha’s bag, which he spotted about seven feet from where she fought. The blood loss made him woozy, but he managed to grab his discarded dagger, wipe it clean on this thigh, and stick it back in its sheath at his side.
“Help Rhotha,” he said. “I’m gonna grab that stuff from her bag.”
Aerin helped him to his feet. He was unsteady, but he made it.
“You’re okay to walk?”
He wasn’t sure, but he nodded anyway. Aerin rushed off to help Rhotha, and he staggered toward the bag, trying to stay focused on it and only it. Though he swayed along the way, he made it. Sweaty fingers fumbled through it until he found the vial he was looking for. He twisted it open and dumped the green substance across his fingertips. With a grimace, he shoved some of it into his shoulder wound.
The relief was almost immediate. His entire body felt lighter, euphoric. Visions of his surroundings swam pleasantly for a moment. Sounds dulled, and his body felt immersed in a luxurious pool.
Then he returned to reality. The battle raged on in three different directions. Isaac jumped to his feet, ready to fight. He grabbed a small phantasm gem from Rhotha’s bag and buried it into his left glove.
The women were nearly done with their opponent, but he still stood. Aerin had summoned a phantom dagger, which she used to slash at his midsection. Rhotha tried to land a fatal uppercut with her axe, but it barely missed.
Pulsing with energy, he ran at their opponent. Without forethought, he launched himself onto the beast’s
hind section and redrew his dagger. He dug it into the monster’s flesh to keep from flying off. In his other hand, he used the gem in his glove to summon a second dagger.
The monster shook its hind section in an attempt to be rid of him, but Isaac clung on. He plunged the second dagger into the beast’s flesh, then pulled Saldana’s blade up and thrust it forward before digging it in again. In this fashion, he climbed his away across the hind section to the midsection, then to the beast’s final segment. It screamed in pain, green fluids gushing out of the many wounds Isaac inflicted.
When he was close enough. Isaac took Saldana’s dagger and dug it deep into the beast’s neck. More blood gushed out like a fountain, partially drenching a disgusted looking Aerin.
It fell to the ground, dying quickly. Isaac’s blade glowed with an intensity he’d never seen before.
Another powerful scream, this one guttural and distant.
It came from the temple.
“Quick,” Rhotha panted. “We gotta… we gotta help Edwin.”
Isaac turned to survey the battle again. Edwin wasn’t doing as well as before. He had a huge gash in his right cheek that leaked blood all over his clothing. He swung his arms with desperation, not tact. The monster advanced on him, ready to pounce for the kill.
Isaac summoned his bow and launched an arrow as quickly as he could. It only grazed the thing’s back, but the distraction was successful. It turned to stare at Isaac, Rhotha, and Aerin. Edwin took advantage of the moment to jab a sword arm through one of its legs.
Behind them, Hector and his opponent still raged in battle. The mayor’s chances were looking slim. At least three of his legs had been severed, and most of his grotesque body was coated in green slime. He grimaced in agony, using the remains of his mandibles to block more blows from his former ally.
“Why, Cameron?” he cried. “Why are you doing this?”
“You two help Edwin,” Isaac said. “I’m going to take care of this Cameron bastard.”
Aerin and Rhotha—phantom weapons in hand—dashed off to fight Edwin’s opponent. Isaac gripped the two daggers in his hands and charged Cameron. The enchanted foe was completely distracted, his back to Isaac. It was almost too easy. When he got close enough, he jumped onto its back.
Cameron was quicker than his earlier counterpart. Isaac only got two deep stabs in before the monster threw him off into the grass. He screeched inhumanly, turning to survey his attacker. He was torn in his attention between victims. The confusion didn’t last long—he moved on Isaac.
A quick glimpse over Isaac’s shoulder showed him that the other battle was nearing completion. The other monster contorted in his death throes, surrounded by three armed fighters. Green goo streamed from a variety of recently opened orifices. Edwin watched Aerin and Rhotha advance on him again, standing back in shock.
Isaac turned back to his own enemy. Cameron charged at him with his mandibles at neck-level. He snapped at Isaac’s throat when he got close enough, but Isaac managed to drop to his knees. From above his head he heard a schlicking sound that almost meant his own decapitation.
Cameron dipped his triangular head to continue the attack, but Isaac dove under his body and rolled out to the side, slicing an insectile leg along the way. Cameron shrieked again.
With the only two legs still working, Hector slowly dragged himself toward the temple. Isaac almost laughed at that. He wouldn’t get far.
There was another loud cry out from somewhere inside the temple, this one even angrier. Isaac glanced to Rhotha and Aerin and saw that they’d taken down the other beast. It lay collapsed in a gory, broken pile. They joined him in his battle.
Cameron whipped around in a circle, mandibles swiping viciously at anyone who came close enough.
It didn’t matter how powerful Cameron was—the battle was four against one.
Hoping that Edwin and the ladies were paying attention, Isaac called out “attack him now!”
Isaac went for a double blow with his daggers into Cameron’s midsection. Aerin sliced into his rear end. Edwin jabbed an arm sword into his throat. Rhotha got the final blow. While Cameron was frozen in pain and shock, she smashed her axe directly into his face. For a moment, he stood completely still, then dropped into a heap. Isaac’s dagger glowed with almost blinding blue.
Another guttural cry from the temple. Rage, frustration, and insanity all sounded in it.
“Think that’s Scorpius in there?” Isaac asked.
“Gods, I hope not,” Aerin said. “If he’s already in our realm, I don’t know how much we can do to stop him.”
“Please, Scorpius, please!” Hector yelled inside the temple, answering their question quickly. “Don’t leave me here!”
“Let’s go!” Isaac dashed for the entrance.
The temple’s inside was under furnished. It seemed the builders had gotten no further than constructing a plain white altar, a lectern, and rows of pews. An aisle ran down the middle, and the crumpled remains of Mayor Hector was sprawled where it met the lectern. He sobbed uncontrollably. Before him, the small swirling remains of a portal dissolved into mist.
“Father!” Aerin called out. “Give up, you’ve lost.”
He didn’t turn. Aerin led the group up the aisle toward him.
“He’s abandoned me,” Hector said. “He’s left me here completely.”
“You expected something more?” Isaac asked.
“Did you just come in here to taunt me?” The mayor turned and looked at him viciously. His neck wouldn’t turn completely, so it was difficult for him to make eye contact.
“No, we came here to kill you.”
Hector looked down.
“You can’t stop Scorpius,” he said, defeat in his tone. “Nobody can. Perhaps I knew that all along. Perhaps that’s why I was so keen to join him.”
“Father,” Aerin started, her voice shaking. “You’ve done some terrible things in your life, but I never thought you’d be capable of this. Look at yourself.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. Isaac stepped back and let her take the lead. This was her fight now.
“My entire life, you hid yourself from me. I never knew who you really were. Until now.”
“This isn’t who I really am,” Hector said, averting his eyes. “I was a mayor. A leader. A father.”
“You were never a father. You were always a monster, you just never looked like it until now. I think this is a fitting end for you.”
He grimaced. “I told you before, I never expected you to understand. Dark magic is too big for you.”
“Is that so?” she said, grinning without humor.
She split herself into two, then returned to one. The mayor gasped.
“You? A dark mage?”
“If you’d given enough of a damn to pay attention, you would have known that by now. Your friend Cameron? I made him attack you.”
A brief silence.
“Aerin, I… If I’d known.”
“You wouldn’t have done anything differently if you had,” she said. “Don’t lie to me.”
She turned to Isaac. “Give me Saldana’s blade.”
He complied.
“I’m going to kill you now, father, and I’m going to do it with the weapon of a goddess you betrayed. Then we’re going to kill Scorpius.”
“You don’t know what you’re up against,” he told her.
“And before I do, I want you to know something.” She ignored him. “Your big, precious city is now being run completely by humans. They’ve enslaved the elves and they’re burning down everything you built there.”
Hector gasped but said nothing.
“What do you make of that, father? Avalour is being run by filthy, degenerate humans. And you want to know the best part?”
With the dagger in hand, she approached his head and neck. He looked up at her in terror, awaiting the blow. The remains of his six limbs all hung limp and useless.
“The best part,” she continued. “Is that I’ve been fuckin
g one of them under your nose for months.”
“You wouldn’t—”
She jabbed the dagger into her father’s neck. Then she pulled it out and stabbed him again. He gasped and gurgled, the life fading from his face. She stabbed him once more.
There was no final scream from inside the temple when the mayor died. The dagger’s glow was so bright, it almost appeared white. Aerin handed it to Isaac.
“His talismans are all dead,” she said simply, the emotion gone from her voice. “We need to go to Tenebromar now and finish this.”
Isaac turned to Edwin and Rhotha, both of who’s expressions were full of shock. Neither said anything.
“Open a portal,” Aerin said. “We can do this.”
“Everyone healed up?” Rhotha asked. “I have a bit more of this healing spread left.”
They rubbed it across their remaining cuts and wounds, sighing at the relief. A tiny amount remained.
“How do you know where in Tenebromar it’s going to take you?” Rhotha asked.
“Well, last time, I was thinking about home when I cut my way back here,” Isaac said. “I imagine I just need to envision the place I want to go.”
“But we have no idea where to go,” Rhotha said.
“Well,” Isaac replied. “I guess I’ll just have to envision Scorpius and hope it takes us to the right place.”
He took a deep breath, then held out the dagger. When he gathered his nerve, he dug the blade into thin air until it pierced reality’s veil. Then he began to make a portal. When it was almost complete, he turned to the others.
“Everyone ready?”
They all nodded.
“Let’s do this.”
He completed the portal and was blinded by purple light.
Before he had a chance to examine what was on the other side, something huge wrapped around him and pulled him through. There was too much light and chaos to distinguish much of anything at first, but eventually he identified his attacker.
It was a tentacle. And the screams surrounding him suggested he wasn’t the only one who’d been taken.