Dark Lover

Lynx - Part 11

First challenge...

The first thing Zass did as we headed into the maze was to push me behind him.  I appreciated the concern, especially since the things that I had seen clearly were going to take place in the ring inside the arena, and I had only seen Zass and Bohdan.  I didn't know what would happen before that and I wasn't sure where I was in that time and place.  I could only hope that I made it that far, Iris's freedom was contingent on me making it through all three challenges and what I had seen made me dread the arena.  What also concerned me was that I hadn't seen anything after the arena, so I couldn't prepare myself for it.  This was a time when I really appreciated the new changes that coursed through my body, I could feel the strength, the weight of my shoulder rig, my bones and muscles straining and releasing with every step I took, they moved in perfect synchronicity and I knew I was ready to take action at the slightest provocation.  Which turned out to be two seconds later when a huge wolf leapt from nowhere and landed on Zass.  The weight of it took him down to the ground and then he was up in in instant, holding the snapping jaws away from this head.  Claws sliced into flesh and I heard a yelp, before growls turned to whines and I heard bones breaking.  At the last dull snapping sound, a human form replaced the wolf, fur changed back to flesh and the dead man at my feet bled slowly from slashing claw wounds across his abdomen and chest while his head lay at an impossible angle, unseeing eyes staring back at me. 

Zass turned to me quickly and kissed me, before whispering against my ear, "You don't know how easy that was Scotty.  That's the fastest I've ever taken down a Were.  The added bonus you've given me is just freaking incredible."

I was happy for the distraction, and the change of view.  Zass's happy face was a sight I much preferred to the dead guy.  I smiled slightly as I returned to vigilant mode and said, "Pay attention Zass, an hour remember?"  Then chuckled at his grumble as he turned to walk deeper into the maze.  "Do you know where you're going?" I asked a few minutes later, we'd taken so many turns, I was sure we were lost.

"I was trying to avoid a certain ominous looking dark patch in the maze, but it seems there's only one way forwards and it's to go through it.  Enough wasting time, let's do this." Zass said as we approached the spot in the maze he was worried about.  It was like it had its own weather system looming overhead, rain fell and dark clouds crackled with electric energy as we approached the edge of the ever circling storm.

"What could be causing that?" I asked Zass.

"Nothing good." Was his reply.

He shrugged and led the way into the pitch black tunned, keeping to the left hand side.  I followed him, trusting his instincts more than my own recently developed ones.

His instincts paid off as another menace appeared between us, huge scythe-like claws slashing the air to the right of Zass.  He turned and saw the creature and then ducked as he felt in his pockets for a small vial.  I shouted at the creature and pulled out my gun, aiming at one of the massive arms. 

"Silver isn't going to work on this one Scott." Zass shouted and I hesitated while he got the lid off the vial and threw the contents at the creature, then dove in the other direction away from the creature.  What looked like metallic particles adhered to the slimy skin and the gathering storm above us seemed to expand exponentially as some of the particles were sucked up into the swirling clouds.  I backed away as fast as I could while still looking at the creature and what was happening.  The clouds above us crackled with energy and then lightning suddenly split the air in front of me and struck the creature.  The forked tongue of lightning burned my retinas it was so hot, leaving flash burn when I closed my eyes.  I concentrated on the injury and then felt it melt away as I healed faster than I ever had before.  When I opened my eyes again, the scent of ozone and burnt flesh filled the air as the creature, fried like a bug by the massive electrical discharge lay smoking on the ground between us.