intensity behind its eyes forces me to close mine, unable to bear the gaze from the beast any longer. I hear it move and I open my eyes to see it advance toward Lebis. The creature moves with impressive speed and is able to quickly and effortlessly disarm Lebis with one strike from its massive hand.
Lebis is knocked to the ground by this attack and loses his sword. He looks around for it with no success. The creature stands in front of Lebis, towering over him. Lebis scrambles to his feet in an effort to defend against the next attack. The beast stretches out its wings, flexing. It steps aside and exposes Lebis’s sword. Lebis looks down at the sword. Laughing, the beast orders Lebis to engage. “Take it,” the beast’s deep, commanding voice vibrates in my chest. It takes another step away from the sword, giving Lebis more room to snatch up his weapon. He grips his sword tight, his knuckles white, and aims it at the creature.
“Who sent you? A summoner? A caster?”
“I am summoned by no one, cast by no one.” The beast rolls its shoulders forward. “Are you going to use that?” it taunts Lebis.
“I will if I have to.” Lebis stands guarded. “What is your purpose in all of this? We are no challenge for you.”
“That is right; you are no challenge for me, yet there you stand with your sword, ready. What do you think you can do with that?”
“What do you want?” Lebis shouts. The beast turns from Lebis and looks at me.
“Her,” it says. And while it focuses on me, Lebis lunges and slices the beast across its leg. It snarls and faces its attacker.
“You will have to kill me first,” Lebis says.
“I know,” the beast says and jumps at Lebis, taking hold of him effortlessly. With one of its hands around Lebis’s throat, the beast grabs his face with the other and separates Lebis from his essence.
“ No!” I scream. Lebis’s body is cast down, landing at my feet. I collapse to him, take his head in my arms, and search for any sign of life. I know I will not find it; the beast has what is left of Lebis. “Oh no! Lebis!” I cry out. I rest my head on his, my tears dripping on his face. I feel I am about to be consumed with grief, and then anger emerges, replacing my sadness. My abhorrence is indescribable, immeasurable, and undeniable. I stand and scream, to the beast, to the meadow, the forest, the world. “Let him go!” I demand. The beast looks at me, surprised. It releases Lebis’s essence, what faintly remains of it, anyway. The creature seems to have absorbed some of it already. That is what it looked like, as if it were soaking Lebis in through its hand somehow. The remainder breaks apart and fades into nothing, but I am not satisfied. I want to scream so loudly that my noise causes the beast to break apart and fade into nothing too, and picturing this fuels my pitch, so I continue to scream.
The ground begins to tremble; I have the beast’s attention. It looks down at the earth and watches as cracks ripple through the ground. The beast looks at me and back to the ground again. I scream so violently that my voice begins to break. My voice is hoarse, but I will not stop until the earth cracks open and engulfs the horrible beast.
The creature leaps in my direction and lands in front of me; I look up at the massive creature towering over me, and it is like being at the bottom of a mountain and looking up toward its peak. “ Eovettzi` nomistara, ” the beast’s words lull me; I want to run, but my body is numb and my mind calms. The ground begins to settle, an action that gives relief to the beast.
“We belong to each other now,” the beast declares as it grabs my limp body and takes me up into the darkness.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mountain Palace
CRACKLING FLAMES FROM THE OVERSIZED hearth touch my face with their heat and wake me from my void. I feel as though I have been asleep for days, without having dreams or any other reassurance of existence. I am lying on a white fur on the floor
Lebis is knocked to the ground by this attack and loses his sword. He looks around for it with no success. The creature stands in front of Lebis, towering over him. Lebis scrambles to his feet in an effort to defend against the next attack. The beast stretches out its wings, flexing. It steps aside and exposes Lebis’s sword. Lebis looks down at the sword. Laughing, the beast orders Lebis to engage. “Take it,” the beast’s deep, commanding voice vibrates in my chest. It takes another step away from the sword, giving Lebis more room to snatch up his weapon. He grips his sword tight, his knuckles white, and aims it at the creature.
“Who sent you? A summoner? A caster?”
“I am summoned by no one, cast by no one.” The beast rolls its shoulders forward. “Are you going to use that?” it taunts Lebis.
“I will if I have to.” Lebis stands guarded. “What is your purpose in all of this? We are no challenge for you.”
“That is right; you are no challenge for me, yet there you stand with your sword, ready. What do you think you can do with that?”
“What do you want?” Lebis shouts. The beast turns from Lebis and looks at me.
“Her,” it says. And while it focuses on me, Lebis lunges and slices the beast across its leg. It snarls and faces its attacker.
“You will have to kill me first,” Lebis says.
“I know,” the beast says and jumps at Lebis, taking hold of him effortlessly. With one of its hands around Lebis’s throat, the beast grabs his face with the other and separates Lebis from his essence.
“ No!” I scream. Lebis’s body is cast down, landing at my feet. I collapse to him, take his head in my arms, and search for any sign of life. I know I will not find it; the beast has what is left of Lebis. “Oh no! Lebis!” I cry out. I rest my head on his, my tears dripping on his face. I feel I am about to be consumed with grief, and then anger emerges, replacing my sadness. My abhorrence is indescribable, immeasurable, and undeniable. I stand and scream, to the beast, to the meadow, the forest, the world. “Let him go!” I demand. The beast looks at me, surprised. It releases Lebis’s essence, what faintly remains of it, anyway. The creature seems to have absorbed some of it already. That is what it looked like, as if it were soaking Lebis in through its hand somehow. The remainder breaks apart and fades into nothing, but I am not satisfied. I want to scream so loudly that my noise causes the beast to break apart and fade into nothing too, and picturing this fuels my pitch, so I continue to scream.
The ground begins to tremble; I have the beast’s attention. It looks down at the earth and watches as cracks ripple through the ground. The beast looks at me and back to the ground again. I scream so violently that my voice begins to break. My voice is hoarse, but I will not stop until the earth cracks open and engulfs the horrible beast.
The creature leaps in my direction and lands in front of me; I look up at the massive creature towering over me, and it is like being at the bottom of a mountain and looking up toward its peak. “ Eovettzi` nomistara, ” the beast’s words lull me; I want to run, but my body is numb and my mind calms. The ground begins to settle, an action that gives relief to the beast.
“We belong to each other now,” the beast declares as it grabs my limp body and takes me up into the darkness.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mountain Palace
CRACKLING FLAMES FROM THE OVERSIZED hearth touch my face with their heat and wake me from my void. I feel as though I have been asleep for days, without having dreams or any other reassurance of existence. I am lying on a white fur on the floor
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