The Resistant Queen, page 26
“I’m all ears,” Loravain said.
The owl faced Sarah. “Mind confusion. Their minds are weak and pliable when facing a new opponent. If your magic is strong enough, you can confuse the beast for a time. However, once they understand what is happening, they gain the ability to shield their mind from it.”
Now it was Sarah’s turn to pale. “You want me to...,” she began before falling silent.
“It will be easier than you think,” Gwendolyn said. “But to start, Loravain will need to clear the area of dregsin. Once that is done, and we are only facing the bethial, it should be easy to subdue. That is if any of this actually works, not to mention the fact that making it warm enough to repel the dregsin will strengthen the bethial.”
“There’s a chance this won’t work?” Sarah asked.
Gwendolyn ruffled her feathers. “No matter what you might think of me, my memory is not perfect and I am not all knowing. Yes, this plan has some risk but it is the best plan we have.”
“No, it can't be the only plan we have. There has to be another way,” Sarah said.
“If you can come up with one, please share it. I would not risk all of our lives on a whim.”
Sarah opened her mouth to reply but stumbled over her words. Loravain placed a warm hand on her shoulder.
“The last thing I want is to see you hurt. If I could keep you out of harm’s way, I would. However, we don’t have another option.”
Sarah pushed his hand away. “What about your sword? I’ve seen it cut through trees like paper.”
The mage shook his head. “Their hides are fireproof.”
“Then Gwendolyn can scratch its eyes out. It can’t follow us if it can’t see us.”
Again, Loravain shook his head. “They are practically blind already. They hunt by their sense of smell and hearing.”
“Sarah,” Gwendolyn said with a sigh. “I understand that you are not a warrior and that you do not want to do this, but it is the best option we have.”
“And if we fail?” Sarah asked. “What happens to Priama if we aren’t able to stop the winter wall?”
“Every plan has a flaw. Every good or bad idea may possibly fail. When we started this, there was no certainty that we would succeed, yet here we are. Now we are faced with a problem that needs a solution. I have presented one. If we do not try, we will fail. If we do try, we might fail. Might is better than will in this case.”
Sarah slumped against the platform Loravain was sitting on and let her shoulder rub against his. “Do you promise to protect me?”
“Of course. I would never let anything happen to you. But you need to have more faith in yourself. I have seen what you are capable of.”
“It’s easy to show off when your life isn’t hanging in the balance.”
“How is your power, mage?” Gwendolyn asked.
“Not where I want it to be. Not for an assault like this.”
“Then we will have to wait. Can you do anything about the broken stone?”
“As in repair it?”
The owl nodded.
“I may be able to but I would need fire for that. Replacing it would be easier.”
Loravain concentrated on the portion of the wall that had cracked. He could sense how brittle it was. A few more hits from the bethial would bring it down. He communicated his need to the stone deeper below him. The ground rumbled as more rock pushed through the ice, covering the crack. It was not perfect but it would work for now.
“What do you need me to do?” Sarah asked when the ground stopped shaking. “I have never dreamed of fighting something like this before.”
“Loravain and I will distract it while you jump on its back. How close do you need to be to interact with its mind?”
“The strongest connection comes from touch. To do it without touch, a connection would have had to be established first or it would need to have some form of mind magic of its own.”
“So, you need to touch its head. For how long?” Loravain asked.
“That depends on what you are asking me to do. And remember, the more I do, the weaker I’ll be.”
“You only need to confuse the beast,” the owl said. “A little direction can go a long way. If you can convince it to attack the dregsin, that will solve two problems at once.”
“I can try,” Sarah said as she rubbed her hands together. “I have never tried to plant a command before.”
“I wish I could tell you more,” Gwendolyn said. “My knowledge of mind magic is limited. Thanatos would know more.”
“How?” Sarah asked.
“That is a tale for another time. For now, you need to rest up. Eat if you have anything.”
The shelter shook again as the bethial attacked the wall. Loravain glanced at the stone. It held firm but it was only a matter of time before it gave. He would need to try something else. He closed his eyes and focused on the ground outside the walls. Stone was plentiful there. As he searched, an idea formed in his mind. He chuckled.
“What?” Sarah asked.
“I just had a thought.”
He imagined large stone spikes erupting from the ground. As he did, the ground trembled in response, followed by deep bellowing and heavy footfalls running away.
“That should help for the moment.”
Curiosity overtook Gwendolyn and she flew out the top hole.
“Clever,” she said when she returned. “You did not wound the bethial but you surprised it.”
“What did he do?” Sarah asked.
“Loravain encircled us by large, jagged spikes. When the bethial returns, it will have to destroy each one before it can reach the wall again.”
“Can’t you just put up another wall?” Sarah asked.
Loravain shook his head. “I think I over-exerted with the spikes. I need to keep all the strength I have left in reserve now.”
“Sleep,” Gwendolyn said. “It will help you recover faster. And eat meat if you have it. Protein is the best for short bursts of power regeneration.”
“I’ll sleep first,” he said as he lay down on his slab. “Wake me up if anything happens.”
THE PLATFORM SHOOK so hard Loravain fell from his stone bed and into the soft mud. Glancing up, he watched a large gray fist retreat from a gaping hole in the side of the wall. Sarah scrambled away, falling twice in the mud as she took cover.
“You were supposed to wake me if anything happened,” Loravain shouted as he pulled his sword free of its sheath.
“We did not have time,” Gwendolyn said. “This was the first attack.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“A couple of hours,” Sarah answered.
“My power isn’t fully back yet but this will have to do. If our plan works, at least we won’t have to worry about facing the dregsin immediately. Gwendolyn, will you see what we’re up against?”
The owl flew up and perched on the lip of the hole. “I can only see the bethial. The dregsin are gone, or at least out of sight. The fog is most likely hiding them.”
“We’ll have to do this fast. Sarah, I am going to open a gap on the far end of the room, opposite the bethial,” Loravain said, pointing at a small crack running up the stone wall. “Once I am out, wait until the count of ten then follow. We need to make quick work of this.”
“I will take Sarah’s advice and go for its eyes,” Gwendolyn said. “It may not do much good other than distracting it, but that is all we need.”
Loravain nodded as the owl disappeared. With a clenched fist, the crack grew wider, revealing dark, rolling fog.
“Be careful,” Sarah said as she pulled Loravain in for a kiss. “I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.”
The mage kissed back, holding her in his arms for what seemed like an eternity, though it was only seconds. “Get behind the bethial and jump for its head. Don’t waste time trying to climb it. As soon as you touch it, it will know you are there.”
Sarah nodded as Loravain leaped through the hole and out of sight, the fog enveloping him. He could hear the bethial bellowing as it swiped and punched at the attacking owl. Holding his sword tight in his hand, he channeled fire into it, heating the air in an instant, protecting them from the invisible and most likely advancing dregsin. When the runes were bright and hot, he charged into battle.
The bethial towered over him. There was no way he could match this beast with strength alone. He would have to get creative. As it took a step towards him, Loravain called out to the stone below. Reacting immediately to his need, a large rock pushed free from the ground, tripping the bethial. It fell hard, shattering the rock shards surrounding it. Its cry was deafening, though it was not a cry of pain. It was anger.
“That might not have been the best move,” Gwendolyn called out from above him.
“I had to do something,” Loravain replied as he charged the downed beast, his sword flaming.
He brought the blade down across the bethial’s shoulder as hard as he could but the sword bounced back without leaving so much as a bruise. The creature glared at him, murder in its cloudy eyes.
Loravain jumped back, narrowly avoiding a clawed hand as the bethial lunged at him again.
“Let me help you up,” Loravain yelled as another column of stone erupted from the ground. It slammed into the bethial’s chest with rib crushing force, pushing the monster back onto unsteady feet.
The creature stumbled backwards, almost disappearing in the thick fog. Loravain bolted forward so he did not lose sight of it. He glanced around for Sarah but she was nowhere to be seen. When he turned his attention back to his quarry, Gwendolyn swooped down and clawed its ear. The bethial tried to dodge out of her way but one of her talons met its mark. The beast bellowed in rage, a blue streak of blood running down its neck. Not wanting to lose the opening, Loravain raced forward, dancing around a few of the stone spikes he had summoned earlier and slashed at the creature’s calves. Once again, the blade caused no harm.
Ignoring the pain in its ear, the bethial turned its full attention to Loravain. It opened its mouth, revealing crooked brown teeth, and dropped to all fours. It charged through the stone spikes, its massive tusks leading the way. Rock shards rained down around the mage as it advanced. At the last second, Loravain dove out of the way as the bethial blared past. Flat on his back, Loravain watched the beast come to a shaky halt and turn around for another pass.
“Loravain.”
The whisper of a voice floated down from above him. Glancing up, he saw Sarah perched on top of the stone shelter.
“What are you doing up there?” he asked.
“My part. Get that thing as close to me as you can.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem.”
Loravain scrambled to his feet as the bethial charged again. He held his ground until he could smell the creature’s foul breath. When it was on top of him, Loravain darted towards the stone wall. The beast veered to the right, turning sharper than Loravain thought possible for a creature of that size. The maneuver brought it as close to the wall as possible without running through it.
The mage rolled across the ground then looked up at Sarah, who was already in the air and coming down fast. She crashed hard onto the bethial’s back, bouncing twice before latching onto its neck. When it realized she was there, it bolted upright, trying to buck her. Sarah tried to reach around and touch its temple but each time she let go of its neck with one hand, it spun, doing all it could to rid itself of the unseen threat.
“Do something,” she screamed. “I can’t hold on much longer.”
Using a broken chunk of stone as a handhold, Loravain pulled himself up. He watched the bethial spin, waiting for the right moment. With each revolution, it moved closer to the wall of the shelter. When it was in position, Loravain pushed out with his mind, willing the stone to move. It blasted upwards, striking the bethial under the arm and pushing it sideways. Not able to regain its balance, it crashed through the rest of the standing stone wall, landing hard on its side. It was only still for a moment but that was enough for Sarah to make her move. When it started to stand, Sarah placed both hands on its head, freezing it in place. Seconds later, she jumped off and walked back to Loravain.
“What happened? Why did you stop?” he asked.
“It’s done.”
“How do you know?”
“Gwendolyn was right. All it needed was a nudge,” Sarah said.
The bethial got to its feet and spun in circles. It sniffed the air then charged into the fog and bellowed. The sound shook the trees around them.
“I do not think waiting around would be the best option,” Gwendolyn said. “It is time to go.”
Loravain and Sarah sprinted the opposite way, wanting to put as much distance between them and the berserking bethial as they could. They only slowed down when the inhuman screams of dregsin and battle had fallen silent. Sarah fell to her knees, gripping her side with one hand.
“How are you not even out of breath?” She asked. “I am a witch and that run nearly killed me.”
“My fire fuels me,” he said. “Though I would not have been able to keep that up for much longer. Maggie has the true ability. I am not sure if there is a limit to how far she might be able to run.”
“Well, I am not like either one of you. I prefer riding horseback.”
Loravain sat next to her and stared through the fog. It was not as thick anymore and at times, he thought he could see the blue of the sky. There was also a slight breeze, though not enough to blow away the mist.
“I think we have our direction again,” he said.
“We do,” Gwendolyn confirmed. “And I believe that we are nearing our destination as well. Now the real battle will begin.”
“What?” Sarah moaned as she fell back to the frozen earth. “What do you call what we just went through?”
“A desperate attempt,” the owl said.
Loravain laughed. “We had luck on our side. That could have easily gone the other way.”
"You do not give yourself enough credit, mage,” Gwendolyn said. “You made all the difference in that fight. You may have done the beast no harm, but you quickly learned to turn its strength against itself. I am impressed.”
The compliment felt awkward coming from the owl. From what Thanatos had told him about her, he never expected to hear words like those escape her beak. However, regardless of how they made him feel, it bolstered his spirits, preparing him for what was to come next.
When they had rested, Loravain helped Sarah to her feet and they began following the wind again. With each step, the fog cleared. What was more surprising was that the temperature was rising as well. The ground was still frozen and the trees still frosted but the warmth of the sun shone down on them. Loravain even began to limit the power he was exerting to heat the air around them. After another half an hour of walking, they finally cleared the fog entirely.
“I would put that sword away now,” Gwendolyn advised. “You will want to save all your strength for what is to come.”
“You seem to think that whatever we face next will be worse,” Loravain said.
“If the Dark One went so far as to send a bethial after us, you can count on it. He will have redundancies for everything.”
The sword felt at home in his hand now and he hesitated to put it back in the sheath, but the owl was right. He needed to conserve all the power he could. There was no telling what might be protecting the storm witches. But his mind kept pulling him back to a single thought.”
“Do you really think that the Dark One would expect anyone to make it through the winter wall and past the dregsin?” he asked. “What if that is the protection he had assigned the witches?”
“Are you assuming that there might not be anything else standing between us and our goal?” Gwendolyn asked.
“It stands to reason that he never anticipated anyone making it this far.”
“The Dark One has been around too long to make a novice mistake like that. No, he will have a backup plan. He would have known that if someone were to make it through the winter wall and past the dregsin and bethial, he would need something even greater in place here. We need to be ready. If we are caught off guard, we will die.”
A warmer breeze blew over them.
“Do you have any idea of what we might be facing?” Sarah asked.
“None, which is why I plan on flying ahead to scout the area.”
“What about the cold?”
“It will not be a problem anymore. We are out of the winter wall. And if we are successful, we will not have to worry about returning through it.”
At her words, the owl soared into the sky and out of sight. The sun was nearing the horizon and it would be nightfall soon, which would make it easier to sneak up on whatever might be out there. Taking a moment to relax, Loravain sat down on a fallen log. As he did, the frost melted and the bark began to steam. He pulled out what little food he had and slowly chewed. Patting the log, he invited Sarah to sit next to him.
“You should eat as well,” he said. “We will both need energy for what is to come.”
Sarah nodded and looked through her bag. “What do you think it might be? You know, what comes next?”
“If Gwendolyn is right, then we will have to expect something worse than a bethial,” Loravain said, a troubled look on his face.
“What is it?”
“There are two options and neither of them are good. First, it could be human, or as close to human as the Dark One can recruit. If so, we will most likely be facing a magician, witch, or lower demon. If what we face is a creature, there are not many more brutal than a bethial. I would be nervous to face such a beast.”
“If the second is true, do you think we have a chance at winning this fight?”
Loravain smiled at her. “We have a better shot than most people would. I have fought for the Dark One for twenty years. I know his tactics. I am also a fire mage. I should be able to hold my own and I still have a few tricks up my sleeves. And then we have this blade. Even now, I do not know the extent of its power.”
Sarah looked at Loravain and his sword. “I hope you’re right. I do not want to die here.”
