beast. It glanced off the creature’s armored hide, causing
it no harm.
As the men began
their charge toward the beast, Kaiya readied her hands. Silver sparks swirled upon
her fingers, the wind racing at her back. Focusing her mind to the enemy, she
struggled against its weight to hold it solidly in place.
Seeing their enemy
struggle against the wind, Raad and the warriors charged. With a grunt, Raad
thrust the spear between the rocks that made up one of the monster’s legs. The
force of the blow sent a shattering pain through his arm, his shoulder
crunching and wrenching itself at an odd angle. Crying out in agony, he dropped
the spear and grasped his shoulder with his other hand. Unable to shift the
injured arm back into its correct position, he stumbled out of the way,
cursing.
The rest of the
warriors continued the onslaught, breaking their spears upon the rocks. The
creature remained in position, completely unaffected by their weapons. The
women threw their rocks, hoping to knock pieces away from the creature to weaken
it. But the rocks glanced off without harming the beast. Fire had no effect as
they lobbed their torches toward it. One succeeded in lighting fire to a hut,
sending warriors and women alike scrambling to contain the flames before they
could spread across the village.
Kaiya held her
breath, her strength waning. The creature’s weight was immense, forcing her to
expend a vast supply of magic to restrain it. Dropping to one knee, the
sorceress began to sweat. Sensing the beast’s mind, she knew it had but one
purpose—to destroy.
The rock beast
swayed and struggled, freeing its feet enough to move a few inches. Three women
fled from beneath it, one of them crashing into Kaiya as she struggled to
maintain her focus. Losing her concentration, the sorceress faltered, and the
beast charged forward unimpeded.
The woman helped
Kaiya to her feet, both terror and sympathy in her eyes. The sorceress
attempted to catch her breath, but there was no time to spare. The beast
crashed into an unoccupied hut, smashing it with a single step. It swiped a
massive arm at a second hut, toppling it as if it were no more than a pile of
leaves.
The warriors
reformed their ranks, determined to continue the fight. Swinging its head
around, the beast focused its attention on them. It pawed a foreleg against the
ground, kicking up dirt and snow. An angry growl escaped the beast as it reared
onto its hind legs, preparing for another attack.
The warriors stood
their ground, but Kaiya knew they would not survive. Squeezing her eyes shut,
she summoned the wind above her, focusing her magic to the sky. Dark clouds
swirled above her, a burst of thunder splitting the air. Her violet hair blew
violently on the wind, scratching at her face. With a single blast of wind, she
knocked the Ulihi backward, sending them tumbling to safety. Throwing open her
eyes, a bright flash of silver erupted from them, calling the lightning from
the sky. In a single strike, it blasted the stone beast, shattering its rear
half into hundreds of pieces. Exhausted, she collapsed on the ground, her head
slumped over her knees.
The warriors wasted
no time getting back to their feet. This was the opportunity they needed.
Leaping onto the creature as it writhed in agony, they tore at the rocks until
they managed to wrest a few from their proper position. The beast tumbled, its
form too weakened to maintain itself. With a cry of victory, the Ulihi stood
over their kill.
Tashi raced to
Kaiya’s side, finding her unconscious. Gently she rolled the dwarf onto her
back and brushed her hair away from her face. Leaning down, she pressed her ear
to the woman’s chest. To Tashi’s relief, the sorceress was still breathing, her
heartbeat strong.
Opening her eyes,
Kaiya bolted upright, a silver sheen disappearing from her face. Her eyes shot
to the fallen beast, and she whispered a word of thanks to the wind.
“You have saved
us,” Tashi said, extending her hand
it no harm.
As the men began
their charge toward the beast, Kaiya readied her hands. Silver sparks swirled upon
her fingers, the wind racing at her back. Focusing her mind to the enemy, she
struggled against its weight to hold it solidly in place.
Seeing their enemy
struggle against the wind, Raad and the warriors charged. With a grunt, Raad
thrust the spear between the rocks that made up one of the monster’s legs. The
force of the blow sent a shattering pain through his arm, his shoulder
crunching and wrenching itself at an odd angle. Crying out in agony, he dropped
the spear and grasped his shoulder with his other hand. Unable to shift the
injured arm back into its correct position, he stumbled out of the way,
cursing.
The rest of the
warriors continued the onslaught, breaking their spears upon the rocks. The
creature remained in position, completely unaffected by their weapons. The
women threw their rocks, hoping to knock pieces away from the creature to weaken
it. But the rocks glanced off without harming the beast. Fire had no effect as
they lobbed their torches toward it. One succeeded in lighting fire to a hut,
sending warriors and women alike scrambling to contain the flames before they
could spread across the village.
Kaiya held her
breath, her strength waning. The creature’s weight was immense, forcing her to
expend a vast supply of magic to restrain it. Dropping to one knee, the
sorceress began to sweat. Sensing the beast’s mind, she knew it had but one
purpose—to destroy.
The rock beast
swayed and struggled, freeing its feet enough to move a few inches. Three women
fled from beneath it, one of them crashing into Kaiya as she struggled to
maintain her focus. Losing her concentration, the sorceress faltered, and the
beast charged forward unimpeded.
The woman helped
Kaiya to her feet, both terror and sympathy in her eyes. The sorceress
attempted to catch her breath, but there was no time to spare. The beast
crashed into an unoccupied hut, smashing it with a single step. It swiped a
massive arm at a second hut, toppling it as if it were no more than a pile of
leaves.
The warriors
reformed their ranks, determined to continue the fight. Swinging its head
around, the beast focused its attention on them. It pawed a foreleg against the
ground, kicking up dirt and snow. An angry growl escaped the beast as it reared
onto its hind legs, preparing for another attack.
The warriors stood
their ground, but Kaiya knew they would not survive. Squeezing her eyes shut,
she summoned the wind above her, focusing her magic to the sky. Dark clouds
swirled above her, a burst of thunder splitting the air. Her violet hair blew
violently on the wind, scratching at her face. With a single blast of wind, she
knocked the Ulihi backward, sending them tumbling to safety. Throwing open her
eyes, a bright flash of silver erupted from them, calling the lightning from
the sky. In a single strike, it blasted the stone beast, shattering its rear
half into hundreds of pieces. Exhausted, she collapsed on the ground, her head
slumped over her knees.
The warriors wasted
no time getting back to their feet. This was the opportunity they needed.
Leaping onto the creature as it writhed in agony, they tore at the rocks until
they managed to wrest a few from their proper position. The beast tumbled, its
form too weakened to maintain itself. With a cry of victory, the Ulihi stood
over their kill.
Tashi raced to
Kaiya’s side, finding her unconscious. Gently she rolled the dwarf onto her
back and brushed her hair away from her face. Leaning down, she pressed her ear
to the woman’s chest. To Tashi’s relief, the sorceress was still breathing, her
heartbeat strong.
Opening her eyes,
Kaiya bolted upright, a silver sheen disappearing from her face. Her eyes shot
to the fallen beast, and she whispered a word of thanks to the wind.
“You have saved
us,” Tashi said, extending her hand
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