From Fire and Blood

Chapter 15: Crisis at the camp

Larger than the eyes could see with water like clear glass was the lake Artemis or so thought Sylia. He had expected the lake to be as stagnant and dirty as the marshes that surrounded it but what a surprise it was that such purity occurred so unexpectedly here.

"A fine place to wash away my grief," Sylia thought as he unbuckled his sword and dipped his feet into the lake. The pebbles were a little uncomfortable but as he walked deeper in the water, it cooled down his scorched feet. As the cold water came upto his chest, it calmed down his burning thoughts. Then as Sylia plunged his head into the clear cold water, the constant sounds of midnight critters faded away, and as he opened his eyes underwater, he felt comfort or perhaps even a little peace. How nice it would be to be like this, under the clear water, forever.

But then a bright ray of light caught Sylia's eyes from beyond the water. He swam up and saw flames in the camp.

With a single stroke of his hands and legs he jumped out of water and took a breath.

From the camp came the roar of giant beast.

Akhilia!!!

Sylia jumped out from the lake and grabbed his sword – no time for armor.

Screams.

A panicked chill went through Sylia's body. No time to think! Sylia jumped atop a wandering horse and rushed towards the camp. A roar and the silloute of a giant beast slashing about. What was it? The alarm horn sounded.

As he got closer, he could see it. A giant bear, 10 feet tall on it's hind legs, swiping at the men trying to defend the lady Andromida and the prince. The men were trying to hold it off and form a spiky shield wall between the lady and the bear.

Howl

A deathly howl from the forest and howls all around to answer that.

Was this the enemy? No time to think. The bear. As Sylia reached the camp behind the bear, he picked up one of the long red hot skewers from the fire and stabbed the bear on it's lower back. As the bear roared in anger and turned around, his horse reared up on terror and with a single swipe from it's giant paws, broke through the horse's legs, ribcage, and its internal organs, and threw Sylia off. One of the men in the shield wall climbed on the bear's back and stabbed it with his sword. The bear growled loudly and fell on its back crushing the man beneath it. Before the bear could get up again, two men grabbed burning logs and tried to burn its fur. The bear grabbed one of them in its paws and crushed his skull. Meanwhile, Sylia gained back his senses and lifted the dead horse off of himself. Then he could see it – the mark of the Blarnar's wolf etched through the bear's back and many other markings which were from the eastern shamans.

The second man was having some luck and the bear's fur was starting to catch on fire. The bear roared again in agony and his claws fell upon the man knocking him aside.

No time to think. Sylia took this chance and rushed behind the shield wall and grabbed Andromida. Her face was pale white and motionless, but she was holding the prince tightly. He grabbed the prince, and tied him around her back. Then he looked at the five men left holding the shield wall.

"Go!" someone shouted. The men who had went to water the horses had come back.

Hurriedly Sylia picked up lady Andromida and climbed atop a horse. With a click and a nudge the horse seemed to fly through the muddy trail.

Screams!

The other men got atop the horses and they rushed to catch up to Sylia. The men holding the shield wall looked at the giant bear infront of them and saw it raise its mighty claws. The bear brought it down with such force that four of the five men were slashed fatally through their shields. The last one was caught between the bear's paws. His vision split as the bear tore him apart down the middle. The bear roared the loudest it had so far. Then more Screams!