The blast obliterated the rock to Viola's right and the shards from it dug into her flesh. The pain shot through her arm, straining her concentration. The giant skeleton of what had once been a blue dragon, reared its head back in a howl that was closer to a laugh. Where the sound came from Viola could only guess, as everything but the dragon's bones had turned to dust centuries earlier. If she had the time, she would love to examine them and the source of the dragon's lightning breath, but as she was under attack, it was something that could wait for later.
Viola watched the dragon lower its head back into its natural attack position with its neck curved, as if it were a snake about to strike. Without hesitation, she began the incantation she needed. The dragon skeleton opened its mouth and a powerful arc of lightning burst forth. The power and beauty would've overwhelmed her under normal circumstances, but she was lost in concentration. As the arc neared her, she cast the spell, creating an invisible, convex shield between her and the dragon.
Viola wanted to flinch, she wanted to take cover, but a voice in her mind urged her, ordered her, to remain where she was and have faith in her magic. She obeyed and remained where she stood, waiting for the explosion and pain every fiber of her mind knew was going to follow. Before her eyes, the lightning arc struck the field, but there was no explosion. Instead of the two canceling each other out or dispersing the energy, as was common with the widely used concave shield spells, the arc formed a ball, or puddle, of energy in the center of the shield.
"Now, close your hand and speak the command."
The familiar voice instructed her as though time wasn't a factor. Viola mirrored the calmness by following the instructions, raising her right arm, hand extended despite the pain, and spoke the magical command while closing her hand into a fist. She watched in amazement as the shield closed and tightened around the lightning until it was the size of a grapefruit. Viola raised her eyes to the empty sockets of the skeleton as she heard the voice once more.
"The final command is yours."
She smiled and spoke a single word. The orb of magic lightning streaked towards the giant skeleton. As if it could sense its coming demise a second time, the skeleton raised its head for another lighting arc, but as the lighting appeared in its mouth the orb struck. A brilliant white light covered the landscape when the lightning was released from its binding. The dragon skeleton let out a horrific roar that shook the ground Viola stood on before the bones exploded into hundreds of dust clouds that floated back to the ground.
"Well done, apprentice, very well done." The voice and accompanying clapping caused Viola to turn towards Mern.
"Is this everything for the day then?" Viola asked, her voice sounding hurt. She wanted to continue with her studies. She learned so much in the days since their arrival.
Mern watched her with a sense of pride he'd only felt for himself before then. Soon, she would be ready, but not yet. She had much to learn before she was ready to face Fyrelynx. "Not quite, child. You still must practice the spell until it's second nature. You hesitated. Do that against a living dragon with a will of its own, and it'll use your bones to pick its teeth." He saw her disappointment, but it was replaced by a hunger few knew or understood.
"Again!" With a motion of Mern's arm, the dragon skeleton reassembled from the dust and debris and roared once more.
*****
Humans were such fools. They built walled cities to defend themselves from all sorts of thieves, bandits, and even armies. But not one, not a single one, was designed to defend against a winged enemy. Fech chuckled at the foolishness of the humans. Granted, a single gargoyle was no threat to a city, or even a town, for that matter, but there have been numerous occurrences of clans of gargoyles banding together to attack human settlements. Sure, it may have been done in an effort to defend their own territory after having it violated by the presence of humans, but did the why really matter?
The threat still hung over the land, due in large part to dragons and their various offspring still populating the world. Just because humans hadn't seen any for nearly two hundred years didn't mean they weren't there in hiding, waiting for their chance to attack and take back a world they felt was rightfully theirs.
"It'd serve the humans right to have everything they worked for burned to the ground." Fech chuckled to himself. Yes, humans were the biggest fools of them all.
His master couldn't be counted among the fools. No, Renard was wise, though not as smart as he led himself to believe. He played these other humans as fools. Mern and Berek hadn't bought their freedom; they purchased a guaranteed day to enter the Abyss. Having them both sharing the same friends only made it so much more delicious. Fech raised himself from his perch atop a building three streets away from the inn they shared and summoned his spell. At that moment, Fech truly appreciated his master and the way his mind worked. A laugh began deep within him as the magic flowed throughout his body. Magic was an inborn ability all gargoyles had, but few ever reached the level Fech had.
At the completion of the spell, a fireball streaked from Fech's hands and into the city. In its wake was a thick fog, making visibility impossible from below the rooftops. From his vantage point, Fech watched the fireball explode into the floor where he was sure Berek and Mern were staying. The two would have to be close together, he was sure of that.
The moment the fireball made an opening large enough, Fech launched into the air and flew towards the building. Even above the thick smoke it was difficult to see at times. It all depended on how the wind was blowing. He hated fire, as do all gargoyles, but he wanted to see the carnage for himself. The magical fire had mostly burned itself out in the few seconds it took for him to land inside the opening.
Fech expected to find the charred bodies of the fighter and mage there, but instead of the sweet smell of death, his lungs filled with acrid smoke and other scents. The most prevalent of those belonged to the human mage Mern. So, he had been there. Realizing he must've just missed him, Fech cursed himself for his bad timing. Irritated at having missed, but elated the hunt would continue, the gargoyle turned to leave the carnage he created. There were other scents there, but he dared not breathe too deep or the smoke would irritate his lungs further. Fech leaped into the air and headed back towards his perch to wait for nightfall. The city would be on high alert and the chaos would prove interesting. He intended to watch the humans run about as though they could do something. Renard could wait; he needed to cheer himself up after missing his targets.
Fech's spirits did lift somewhat when he thought about what the rest of the afternoon would bring. He could already hear the humans below him yelling at one another, but their voices didn't carry well enough for him to understand their meaning. Knowing the people below him were most likely scared and looking for a place to hide like rats brought a chuckle to the gargoyle as he neared his previous perch. He'd reach the safety of it before the smoke finished disappearing.
Without warning, an arrow flew past his neck, missing by mere inches.
After spending his life among humans, it was a shame Fech had such a low opinion of them. He couldn't be blamed for that, though. It was an inherited trait among his kind. More the pity that neither he nor Renard thought of the possibility of being spotted from the ground. Fech believed he was hidden due to his inability to see the people below him. It never occurred to him they'd be able to see him against the bright afternoon sky.
There were only one or two arrows at first, but there would be more on the way. Furious, Fech let out a roar but it did little good, he could hear more of the city's soldiers on the way. What he thought to be a lazy day watching the people of Hope run around had turned into a fight for his life. Those pathetic humans were smarter than he thought.
Fech veered away from his destination and towards the thick forest surrounding the city. After the initial arrows, he was pleased to note word of him hadn't spread to the outer wall as the guards he snuck past before were now shocked and frightened to see a man-sized creature flying over their heads. The surprise was so complete the gargoyle was out of bow range before someone thought to fire an arrow.
He was fleeing, but he knew he was safe outside the city walls. The humans cared little for the surrounding countryside. He wouldn't be able to go back into Hope again as there'd be more sentries on duty, and he couldn't head back to the safety of Renard's camp until nightfall. Angry and tired, Fech spotted a thick grove of trees and settled down to rest, safely hidden from view. The day had begun with so much promise and potential. A low growl in his throat was the answer he felt summed it all up.
*****
The mayhem reached the wall of the city as word spread. Three of the companions heard the commotion as they approached the gates. "What's happened?" Gilliam asked the young man standing guard at the gate.
The guard nodded towards the heart of Hope. "A beast attacked one of the inns. A buncha folks were hurt. Damnest thing I ever did see."
Each of the companions felt fear and worry spread through them. Though they weren't very familiar with each other, they had developed a strong bond. Each one's thoughts were on the young mage that had remained behind.
Galin muttered a silent oath as Fleir and Gilliam exchanged glances. Fleir had joined them in what seemed like minutes before, but she felt their pain and grief. She hadn't yet met the mage they called Viola, but she imagined the girl could've protected herself against a gargoyle. Of all the mortal races, their magic was the least powerful. If the young lady had been caught unawares, then perhaps, but it was still difficult to fall in with the others and their concerns. If only she could make them understand. She stepped forward as though she floated on air. "Pardon me, good sir, but were there any deaths?"
She could feel the intake of breath from each of her companions. It wasn't a question they wanted to ask but one they needed answered. Fleir waited while the guard scratched his head. "To be honest, miss, I don't rightly know. I've just been told the basics."
Fleir nodded, but let her eyes settle on the guard's. "A friend of ours was staying at an inn. Could you tell us which one was attacked?"
The guard swallowed hard; he wasn't sure what was coming over him, but he fought against the urges this woman was pulling out of him. "No, miss, I... I'm sorry... I don't know." He swallowed hard once more, struggling with himself. "I just know there was an attack and I'm not to allow anyone into the city."
Fleir's expression changed from one of alluring to a gentle pout. "But our friend's in danger. Couldn't you... just this once..." She whispered the last part into his ear.
The feeling of her breath on his skin drove the man wild with passion, but he remained focused enough on his duty that he was able to shake his head. "I... can't. Sheriff... Tavers... will hang me... by my toes."
Fleir smiled at him, but before she could continue another voice approached. "What's going on here?" Galin and Gilliam exchanged glances; this wasn't going to be good.
Fleir stepped back from the guard smiling, "Nothing at all, Sheriff. He was just complementing me. I do hope his duty shift is almost over."
Sheriff Tavers glanced at the young man, then leered at Fleir. "He has four more hours, but I can help you with what you need."
Fleir turned her smile on the Sheriff alone. "Thank you, but I've already had a bath today." She winked at the young guard, "Maybe next time." With a flick of her hand, her red hair was thrown over her shoulder, exposing her silky neck to the guard. She then walked away with her companions. It would prove an intense debate at the ale house between the guard and Sheriff Tavers over whether she had someone with her or not.
Once they were out of sight in the trees, Galin let out a huff. "Nice try, lass. Looks like we won't get in that way."
Gilliam was puzzled. "How didn't Tavers notice us? I thought for sure he'd at least recognize one of us."
"He had more pressing matters on his mind," Galin said, then glanced back towards the city. "Our suspicions were confirmed. It had to be Fech."
"But for what reason?" Gilliam asked in a low tone.
Fleir stood silent a moment. She almost had the guard in her power, but something had stopped her. Any other time she would've enslaved him to her a hundred times over. Could her worst fear be coming true? Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear what the others had been saying, but the answer to everything was the same.
"Berek." She hadn't realized she'd spoken until both men looked at her, unexchanged glances with each of them continuing. "He's been the answer all along. Renard's allowed others to win their freedom before—"
"—and Fech always hunted them down for sport afterwards. But this time was different." Galin let the words trail off as he spoke.
Gilliam looked at each of them in turn. "What? You two know something." He was sure he understood their line of thinking; he just couldn't tie it all together.
"Renard had Fech target you two. The gargoyle's been watching you." It all made sense to Fleir as she spoke, but what was it about Berek that was so special to Renard as to not attack him? Was it the same as it was for her?"
"He doesn't want him killed, but why?" Gilliam rubbed at his chin. The answer was within reach, but he didn't know what to grab a hold of.
"Aye, lad, looks like we need answers." Galin stroked his beard.
"But he doesn't know anything!" Gilliam threw his hands up in irritation. "We'll have to ask Renard ourselves." He hefted his mace and took a pair of steps before Fleir stepped in front of him to block his path.
"No, only Berek can confront him." A sudden fear surged through her. Why did she say that and how would she know?
Gilliam eyed her for a moment. "I don't remember anyone putting you in charge, Fleir. He's my nephew."
"And he's my love. You think I'd want him injured?" She faltered, nearly taking a step backwards from the blow her admission had struck her, but she held her ground.
Gilliam let out a breath. An Air Nymph in love, would wonders never cease?
"Either way, we need to wait for Berek and Janessa." Galin sat down and leaned against a tree. "May as well be comfortable." In time, the others followed Galin's lead, though Fleir kept looking towards the city of Hope.