Dragonsbane (Dragonsbane Duology Book I)

Chapter 40: Echoes

When Cara and the sisters found the bedrolls, they fittingly decided to rest.

"Strange," Cara said, looking around with interest.

"Not going to pass up a chance to rest though," Epona said, and sat on the ground and took some food out of her small travel bag slung over her shoulder.

Cara kicked some bones aside from a bedroll. "Yes. It looks so inviting."

Epona offered Cara some of what she was eating. It looked like jerky. "Can humans even eat your food?"

Epona squinted with confusion, momentarily withdrawing the offer to make sure there wasn't something visually wrong with it. "It's chicken."

"What do you think we eat? Goat testicles?" Olwen joked.

"That's only on holidays," Epona added and laughed.

"Alright, alright," Cara finally accepted it. "I'll have a bite over on the bloody bed over there."

She nearly got a bite, nearly quelled the growling in her stomach, but an ear-piercing shriek made her drop the small bit she had. All of them drew their weapons, the shriek agonizing in their ears. Whatever it was, it was close. They all looked to the darkness of the next corridor, but what was approaching, was approaching from behind.

An oily black mass moving of its own will encased the skeletal remains of the researcher in the bedroll. Olwen was the first to turn and notice what was happening.

"You might wanna put up that force-field," she nudged Cara.

"Why?"

"Now!"

The black mass continued to grow, taller than the dead man had ever been. Eventually it stood over nine feet and it was solid black. A mouth full of razor-like teeth shrieked and spewed black sludge all over Cara as the sisters rolled out of the way. 

After she was completely drenched in it, she fell to her back. Branwen and Olwen charged with blades drawn while Epona helped Cara. Once enough of the sludge was cleared away, she coughed the rest out.

"What is that thing?!"

"A Shriek! A reanimated skeleton! Let's go!"

Cara and Epona charged with the others sending magical blasts of fire and energy while the rest of the sludge dripped off Cara's body.

Branwen and Olwen slashed at the legs, any attempts to thrust with their blades would result in them getting stuck, and they would have to use great force to withdraw their weapons.

Cara and Epona stayed at a distance, deflecting sludge with their force-fields and using ranged magical attacks. Epona's staff glowed before each barrage. It seemed like an extension of her body; she wielded it with such grace and ease.

Olwen rolled out of the way of a swiping attempt and threw a dagger towards the eye. It lodged in one of the slits, enraging the creature, making it rampage. It thrashed about the room, soaking the walls in black, and one of its half-blind swipes hit Epona and sent her flying against the wall. 

Her back smacked against the stone and she fell forward and did not move. Olwen tried to hit the other eye but suffered the same fate as her sister, leaving only Branwen and Cara still standing against the beast.

Branwen knew she had to act fast, she took a deep breath and latched onto one of the legs as it hunched forward trying to get the dagger out of its eye. 

She ran up its body along its back, staying light as a feather on her feet so she wouldn't slip in the sludge. Her movements were so light the Shriek didn't seem to feel her until she was nearly at its neck, that was when it stood and tried to throw her off. She buried her jagged blades as deep as she could in the thing's body and slid down using her sword and dagger like repel hooks.