Hello readers! I wanted to let you know that the e-book version of Quests is now up for sale for those who would like to buy a copy. You can find it for Kindle here and for Nook here. The story will also remain available for free in the blog archives. As I have been seeing better sales from my e-books than my print books in recent years, I am not planning to make Quests available in print at this time unless I receive an overwhelming number of requests for print books. For this reason, if you want a print copy of the book please say so. I plan to take some time off from writing and will most likely not announce a new writing project for some time. Until I return, please enjoy my old stories which as always will remain available on the blog and for sale on Kindle and Nook. Happy reading and take care!
-Rebekah
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Friday, June 17, 2016
Quests Episode Twenty-three: Rise of a Sleeping Power
I am proud to announce that this is the final episode of the Quests Series. After this I will be taking a long break from blogging and story writing. Enjoy!
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty-two here.
Episode Twenty-three: Rise of a Sleeping Power
Just as night took hold of the land, Fedrick's division reached the leafy depths of the forest. The woods seemed eerily quiet; there was very little activity in them. Several goblins stopped and glanced nervously over their shoulders.
“Keep marching, cave slime!” snarled their captain.
The goblin warriors resumed marching, still uneasy. They slowly crept through the tangled undergrowth, expecting to be attacked by elvin and fairy warriors at every turn. They came to a small clearing where they stopped short in surprise. The elvin princess sat on a rock in the center of the grassy area. Her sword lay across her knees but her eyes were closed. Fedrick wondered if she was sleeping. He took a small step forward to get a better look. Though he made almost no noise when he moved, the elf opened her eyes, and turned her head to look directly at him. In her eyes was a look of terrible wild power which filled Fedrick with dread.
The Fairy Queen herself stepped out from the shadows behind the princess and uttered a terrible cry full of words Fedrick could not understand. No sooner had she stopped speaking then a biting cold wind came from all directions, ripping through the goblin ranks, while large sleety raindrops spattered them. Branches whipped at them, vines twined around their feet and flames danced to life like wildfire come to purge the forest.
At the same moment the elf princess leaped to her feet and raised her sword. Elvish warriors charged from every side. The goblins screamed in terror and fled as the elements and elves closed in on them. As Fedrick ran, he noticed other goblins falling all around him, overwhelmed by one or more of the natural forces. Others were cut down by the pursuing elves. Fedrick didn’t dare stop, sure that if he did he would never make it out of the woods.
Only a small ragged group of goblins stumbled out of Fairy Wood and up the mountain path. High above the forest Fedrick stopped to catch his breath and finally dared to look back. The edge of the woodlands shimmered as though it were not quite solid.
Fedrick heard cries from farther up the path, and looked to see that the remains of the goblin company had joined a division of trolls. The goblins urged the trolls back toward the underground city and away from the enchanted forest. Goblins and trolls tripped over each other trying to make it back to the city first. When Fedrick finally staggered into the city’s entrance, he found himself standing next to Felnar.
“What happened?” panted the troll.
“We were defeated by the combined magic of the Fairy Queen and the elf princess,” said Fedrick. The full weight of the Dark’s army’s loss hit him. “What’s worse, whatever they did seemed to have repaired the forest’s defense spells. They’ve made it unsafe for our kind to enter Fairy Wood again.”
“I thought you hated that forest anyway,” said Felnar.
“It holds prime hunting ground that is now lost,” Fedrick replied. “What’s more Wilderlah is cut off from us as well. If we try to enter it we will be hunted down by that cursed elf princess! Only the mountains are safe to Dark creatures now. We have lost.”
***
Fate paused to look at the swirling colors on her tapestry. She fingered the beautiful pattern at the bottom, a band of black held in place by silver on one side and gold on the other. The Lord of Light was right, this had become a fine tapestry indeed. She sighed in contentment and continued her work.
The End
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty-two here.
Episode Twenty-three: Rise of a Sleeping Power
Just as night took hold of the land, Fedrick's division reached the leafy depths of the forest. The woods seemed eerily quiet; there was very little activity in them. Several goblins stopped and glanced nervously over their shoulders.
“Keep marching, cave slime!” snarled their captain.
The goblin warriors resumed marching, still uneasy. They slowly crept through the tangled undergrowth, expecting to be attacked by elvin and fairy warriors at every turn. They came to a small clearing where they stopped short in surprise. The elvin princess sat on a rock in the center of the grassy area. Her sword lay across her knees but her eyes were closed. Fedrick wondered if she was sleeping. He took a small step forward to get a better look. Though he made almost no noise when he moved, the elf opened her eyes, and turned her head to look directly at him. In her eyes was a look of terrible wild power which filled Fedrick with dread.
The Fairy Queen herself stepped out from the shadows behind the princess and uttered a terrible cry full of words Fedrick could not understand. No sooner had she stopped speaking then a biting cold wind came from all directions, ripping through the goblin ranks, while large sleety raindrops spattered them. Branches whipped at them, vines twined around their feet and flames danced to life like wildfire come to purge the forest.
At the same moment the elf princess leaped to her feet and raised her sword. Elvish warriors charged from every side. The goblins screamed in terror and fled as the elements and elves closed in on them. As Fedrick ran, he noticed other goblins falling all around him, overwhelmed by one or more of the natural forces. Others were cut down by the pursuing elves. Fedrick didn’t dare stop, sure that if he did he would never make it out of the woods.
Only a small ragged group of goblins stumbled out of Fairy Wood and up the mountain path. High above the forest Fedrick stopped to catch his breath and finally dared to look back. The edge of the woodlands shimmered as though it were not quite solid.
Fedrick heard cries from farther up the path, and looked to see that the remains of the goblin company had joined a division of trolls. The goblins urged the trolls back toward the underground city and away from the enchanted forest. Goblins and trolls tripped over each other trying to make it back to the city first. When Fedrick finally staggered into the city’s entrance, he found himself standing next to Felnar.
“What happened?” panted the troll.
“We were defeated by the combined magic of the Fairy Queen and the elf princess,” said Fedrick. The full weight of the Dark’s army’s loss hit him. “What’s worse, whatever they did seemed to have repaired the forest’s defense spells. They’ve made it unsafe for our kind to enter Fairy Wood again.”
“I thought you hated that forest anyway,” said Felnar.
“It holds prime hunting ground that is now lost,” Fedrick replied. “What’s more Wilderlah is cut off from us as well. If we try to enter it we will be hunted down by that cursed elf princess! Only the mountains are safe to Dark creatures now. We have lost.”
***
Fate paused to look at the swirling colors on her tapestry. She fingered the beautiful pattern at the bottom, a band of black held in place by silver on one side and gold on the other. The Lord of Light was right, this had become a fine tapestry indeed. She sighed in contentment and continued her work.
The End
Monday, April 25, 2016
Quests Episode Twenty-two: Forest Whispers
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty-one here.
Episode Twenty-two: Forest Whispers
Beritta grabbed a handful of Mist's mane and swung her sword at the goblin hordes. Mist lowered her horn, using it to toss enemies as she advanced. The elvin warriors moved forward to assist and protect Beritta. Lilac, Lilly and Reuben flew up from lower on the peak and dropped rocks on the heads of the goblins surrounding the elves. As the goblins dodged these missiles, Lilac hovered in front of Beritta and cried, “Oakley's been wounded by a strellogroth. We have to get him to a healer!”
“Did you say a strellogroth?” asked Beritta, hoping she had heard wrong.
Lilac pointed at the sky. Beritta looked where she was indicating and saw the great bat monster with Faralasa pursuing it. Lasa jumped, then kicking off from the strellogroth’s head, launched herself into a flip and regained her balance midair behind the monster, facing its back. She whipped her sword through the air, making noises to intimidate it into flying higher. The strellogroth tried to retreat to the underground city but Lasa blocked it and slashed the monster's wings. Screeching, the strellogroth flapped her tattered wings wildly, trying to stay aloft. The edge of a wing caught Lasa under her chin, throwing her onto the clouds.
Beritta turned to two warriors standing beside her and ordered, “Follow the fairy and get her and her companions, especially the wounded elf, to safety.”
As Lilac and the warriors moved to obey, Beritta turned to another group of warriors and cried, “Cover me!”
She then sheathed her sword, signaled Mist to turn slightly and summoned a flame to hover over her right palm. The flame grew for a minute until, satisfied it was large enough, Beritta formed it into a fireball and shot it a the strellogroth. She then summoned a second flame and repeated the process. The creature's torn wings caught fire just as Faralasa dove out of the clouds. With a great yell Lasa stabbed her sword with all her might into the strellogroth’s chest. The monster’s scream was earsplitting. Grasping the hilt firmly with both hands, Lasa kicked the strellogroth, freeing her sword.
The once frightening monster fell from the sky like a giant fire-ball surrounded by tattered batwings. Beritta used one last fireball to redirect the strellogroth’s body so that it crashed into the thick of the goblin army pouring out of the mountain.
In the confusion that followed she ordered, “Retreat to Fairy Wood!”
As the elves scrambled down the rocky path, she glanced over her shoulder several times to see if they were being pursued. The fall of the strellogroth had created enough confusion to allow the elves a head start, but it was only a matter of time before the goblins organized their forces enough to give chase. There was still no sign of the goblins on the path behind them when they passed beneath first trees of the forest. Beritta noted that the sky in front of her to the east was lightening, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Once they were well into the forest she ordered her warriors to halt.
“We will make camp here and rest during the day. The Dark army will not attack again until nightfall.”
She then dismounted Mist and rushed through the camp until she found the healer who was tending Oakley. Faralasa and the fairies were also gathered watching as the healer, a red haired elf woman, cleaned and bound the gashes on Oakley's chest.
“Is he going to be alright?” Beritta asked.
“His chest may scar a little but otherwise he should recover,” the healer answered.
Relief washed over Beritta. She noticed a scowl on Faralasa's face and said, “I'm sorry. I was reckless and made some horrible mistakes.”
“I just hope those mistakes don't cost us Fairy Wood!” Lasa snapped. “Come on everyone, let's get some rest while we can.”
Beritta felt heat rise in her face, but followed the others without further comment. She found a mossy spot to lie down and soon fell asleep.
As she slept she once again felt the strange tug of the earth, only this time it was far stronger. The natural sounds of the forest formed a pattern which seemed liked a language. It was the language of bird song, animal sounds and wind whispering through leaves. Suddenly, the sounds formed words and Beritta understood them. She felt as though the forest had been speaking to her all along, but only now did she understand. The urgency of the forest’s message woke Beritta. She felt a rush of energy and leaped to her feet, running through the cool shadows of the woods until she came to a sun drenched meadow. In this meadow stood the dark haired, silver winged fairy queen.
“Your majesty,” Beritta cried. As the queen turned she continued, “I know how to rebuild Fairy Wood's defense spells and drive out the Dark army. The forest simply awaits a command from you.”
Read episode twenty-one here.
Episode Twenty-two: Forest Whispers
Beritta grabbed a handful of Mist's mane and swung her sword at the goblin hordes. Mist lowered her horn, using it to toss enemies as she advanced. The elvin warriors moved forward to assist and protect Beritta. Lilac, Lilly and Reuben flew up from lower on the peak and dropped rocks on the heads of the goblins surrounding the elves. As the goblins dodged these missiles, Lilac hovered in front of Beritta and cried, “Oakley's been wounded by a strellogroth. We have to get him to a healer!”
“Did you say a strellogroth?” asked Beritta, hoping she had heard wrong.
Lilac pointed at the sky. Beritta looked where she was indicating and saw the great bat monster with Faralasa pursuing it. Lasa jumped, then kicking off from the strellogroth’s head, launched herself into a flip and regained her balance midair behind the monster, facing its back. She whipped her sword through the air, making noises to intimidate it into flying higher. The strellogroth tried to retreat to the underground city but Lasa blocked it and slashed the monster's wings. Screeching, the strellogroth flapped her tattered wings wildly, trying to stay aloft. The edge of a wing caught Lasa under her chin, throwing her onto the clouds.
Beritta turned to two warriors standing beside her and ordered, “Follow the fairy and get her and her companions, especially the wounded elf, to safety.”
As Lilac and the warriors moved to obey, Beritta turned to another group of warriors and cried, “Cover me!”
She then sheathed her sword, signaled Mist to turn slightly and summoned a flame to hover over her right palm. The flame grew for a minute until, satisfied it was large enough, Beritta formed it into a fireball and shot it a the strellogroth. She then summoned a second flame and repeated the process. The creature's torn wings caught fire just as Faralasa dove out of the clouds. With a great yell Lasa stabbed her sword with all her might into the strellogroth’s chest. The monster’s scream was earsplitting. Grasping the hilt firmly with both hands, Lasa kicked the strellogroth, freeing her sword.
The once frightening monster fell from the sky like a giant fire-ball surrounded by tattered batwings. Beritta used one last fireball to redirect the strellogroth’s body so that it crashed into the thick of the goblin army pouring out of the mountain.
In the confusion that followed she ordered, “Retreat to Fairy Wood!”
As the elves scrambled down the rocky path, she glanced over her shoulder several times to see if they were being pursued. The fall of the strellogroth had created enough confusion to allow the elves a head start, but it was only a matter of time before the goblins organized their forces enough to give chase. There was still no sign of the goblins on the path behind them when they passed beneath first trees of the forest. Beritta noted that the sky in front of her to the east was lightening, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Once they were well into the forest she ordered her warriors to halt.
“We will make camp here and rest during the day. The Dark army will not attack again until nightfall.”
She then dismounted Mist and rushed through the camp until she found the healer who was tending Oakley. Faralasa and the fairies were also gathered watching as the healer, a red haired elf woman, cleaned and bound the gashes on Oakley's chest.
“Is he going to be alright?” Beritta asked.
“His chest may scar a little but otherwise he should recover,” the healer answered.
Relief washed over Beritta. She noticed a scowl on Faralasa's face and said, “I'm sorry. I was reckless and made some horrible mistakes.”
“I just hope those mistakes don't cost us Fairy Wood!” Lasa snapped. “Come on everyone, let's get some rest while we can.”
Beritta felt heat rise in her face, but followed the others without further comment. She found a mossy spot to lie down and soon fell asleep.
As she slept she once again felt the strange tug of the earth, only this time it was far stronger. The natural sounds of the forest formed a pattern which seemed liked a language. It was the language of bird song, animal sounds and wind whispering through leaves. Suddenly, the sounds formed words and Beritta understood them. She felt as though the forest had been speaking to her all along, but only now did she understand. The urgency of the forest’s message woke Beritta. She felt a rush of energy and leaped to her feet, running through the cool shadows of the woods until she came to a sun drenched meadow. In this meadow stood the dark haired, silver winged fairy queen.
“Your majesty,” Beritta cried. As the queen turned she continued, “I know how to rebuild Fairy Wood's defense spells and drive out the Dark army. The forest simply awaits a command from you.”
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Quests Episode Twenty-one: Dark Wings
Sorry for my long unexplained absence. I have been busy with some real-life adventures which took me away from my writing. Shortly after having my second baby, my husband and I chose to move across the country to be closer to his family and begin learning the skills for what you might call "backyard homesteading". As interesting as all of that is, I will not be telling those stories here as this blog is dedicated to fantasy stories. The way these lifestyle changes will effect this blog and my writing in general is that I plan to spend much of the year gardening and will probably make writing more of winter project in the future. For now I will wrap up the Quests series in a couple more posts. I'm hoping for another episode at the end of April and the final episode some time in May. After that I will take a break from writing and blogging until the late fall or winter.
Now without further ado, on to Quests!
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty here.
Episode Twenty-one: Dark Wings
Tap, tap, tap! The knocker’s noises led into a wide cave then died away. Oakley slipped inside and whispered, “Lilac, are you alone?”
“Oakley!” Lilac cried. “I heard you were here. The goblin said the guards were going to kill you and then he and the troll went to look for intruders…”
“Shh!” Oakley warned. “I’m all right. We made it passed the guards. Lasa and the others are waiting for us on the mountain.”
He moved closer to the cage and inspected it.
“You’re hurt!” Lilac exclaimed pointing to the scratch on Oakley’s neck.
“It’s nothing,” he said touching it briefly with his left hand. Then he asked, “Where’s the key to this cage?”
“The troll took it with her when she left.”
Oakley tugged at one of the bars with a finger then bent to look at it closer. He looked back at Lilac and spoke slowly, “I might be able to break the gate open, but it’s a bit risky. I’m not sure I can do it without hurting you.”
“I want to get out of here. Now tell me what I need to do.”
“Okay,” said Oakley. “Go to the far side of the cage and hold on as tight as you can.”
Lilac obeyed. Oakley lifted the sword he had taken from the goblin guard and slammed it against the lock. Lilac held on even tighter. Oakley alternated between trying to snap the lock and pry the on gate itself, until he got the cage open.
“Hurry, they might have heard that,” he said as he pulled away the last piece of the ruined door. Lilac shot out of the cage. The two friends hurried out the entrance which led to the outdoors. The fresh mountain air filled their lungs. They breathed in deeply. It was easy to find the path even in the dim moonlight. They hurried along it, stopping when they came to the place where Oakley had left his winged horse.
“Lilac, fly a little higher,” said Oakley. “See if you can spot Lasa and the others but don’t let any enemies see you. I have to find my winged horse then we’ll leave.”
“All right,” said Lilac and flew into the air.
As soon as she was gone Oakley turned and softly called the horse's name. There was no response. The animal must have wandered. Oakley called again more urgently but still there was no sign of the winged horse. Slowly the elf moved onto the rocks near the path, continuing to look for his mount and watching for enemies. He became more worried with every passing minute.
The wind seemed to turn colder as it brushed against his cheek. The sky darkened momentarily. Oakley glanced up and gasped in surprise when he saw huge bat wings blocking the moon. A new fear filled him as his mind registered what it was seeing. The strellogroth dove at him just as he started to run. His foot bumped a jagged place on the rock and he fell. The strellogroth flew toward him, claws extended. Oakley twisted and slashed upward with the sword. He sliced open one of the creature’s claws. The strellogroth let out a high pitched cry which made Oakley’s ears ring. The monster wrenched the sword out of the elf’s hands before he could react.
While the strellogroth was distracted by the sword, Oakley crawled away from its scrabbling claws. He stood, and was about to run again when he heard the sound of something whistling through the air. He ducked as the sword flew over his head and clattered over the rocky edge of the mountain. Another high pitched screech told him the strellogroth was still chasing him. He noticed a small depression in a boulder in front of him. He dropped and rolled into it.
The monster dropped a few feet to be in a better attack position, but Oakley was ready for it. He gathered up bits of loose rock and hurled them at the creature’s face yelling, “Get back you big bat!”
He was too frightened to care who else heard him. With a few mighty beats of its wings the strellogroth flew higher to avoid the stones Oakley was throwing. Oakley waited a few minutes, listening for the beast's return but he heard nothing. Slowly and cautiously, he came out of his hiding place. When nothing happened, he picked his way across the rocks.
He was halfway to the path when he heard the noise of wind rushing under giant wings. He froze in fear, but the sound continued to grow. He dropped to all fours slamming his hands against the hard stone. Huge bat-like wings passed inches above his head before the monster returned to the air. It was clearly toying with him. Oakley pushed himself into a kneeling position.
“Stop!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “Leave me alone!”
Out of the corner of his eye Oakley saw the strellogroth turn to circle back toward him. Something about the way the creature moved made it clear that it had become serious. It was coming in for the kill. Oakley scrambled to his feet as panic made his heart beat faster. The strellogroth slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. He screamed as wave of pain shot through him. As the monster attempted to wrap its claws around him, Oakley reached out blindly, grasping for something to keep him sane. His hand closed around a jagged rock and his mind snapped back into focus. He twisted and stabbed the rock into its leg. The creature gave a sharp noise that was almost a scream and pulled back to dislodge the makeshift weapon. The strellogroth charged him and slashed his chest with its claws, leaving a set of deep scratches. Before he could even attempt to retaliate, the beast pushed him backwards and pinned him to the ground. The monster’s great wings seemed to block out all light. It opened her mouth showing large fangs. Oakley realized he was hyperventilating. This was it, the strellogroth would kill him now. He hoped that his quest had been successful and the others had escaped. He shut his eyes and prayed it would end quickly.
Thwack! This new sound rang through the darkness and was followed by a sharp voice.
“Let him go, bat-brain!”
Lasa, it was Faralasa’s voice! There was another thwack, and the strellogroth shrieked. Oakley opened his eyes to see Lasa hovering near the great bat’s head. She brought down her stolen goblin sword once more on the monster’s already bleeding ear. The strellogroth forgot Oakley. It took to the air to battle Faralasa. Oakley dragged himself away from the fight.
“Over here!” someone hissed.
Oakley turned to see the fairies crouching on the rocky slope above him. Removing the tattered remains of his party shirt, he used it to bind his bloody chest. He then pulled himself into a hiding place beside the fairies, grunting as the effort caused pain to spread from the wounds. “You made it,” he whispered turning to Lilac. “I was afraid it might have got you.”
“I found Lasa and the others before it came,” Lilac replied. “We heard you scream came back to help.”
Oakley nodded and turned to watch as strellogroth and airwalker circled each other. Faralasa somersaulted to avoid the monster’s snapping jaws, then sliced off the strellogroth’s bleeding left ear. The strellogroth screeched and flapped its wings wildly in front of it.
Lilac flew a little higher then suddenly shouted, “Lasa, there’s a group of elvin warriors below us.”
“Is Beritta with them?” asked Faralasa while still slashing at the strellogroth.
“I can’t… wait yes! She's at their head riding Mist!”
Oakley turned in time to see a number of goblin and troll warriors pour out the front gate of the underground city.
“Beritta, look out!” he shouted.
He jumped to his feet, intending to launched himself into the path between the elvin princess and the enemy warriors, but a wave of pain and dizziness washed over him, forcing him to his knees.
Continue to episode twenty-two.
Now without further ado, on to Quests!
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty here.
Episode Twenty-one: Dark Wings
Tap, tap, tap! The knocker’s noises led into a wide cave then died away. Oakley slipped inside and whispered, “Lilac, are you alone?”
“Oakley!” Lilac cried. “I heard you were here. The goblin said the guards were going to kill you and then he and the troll went to look for intruders…”
“Shh!” Oakley warned. “I’m all right. We made it passed the guards. Lasa and the others are waiting for us on the mountain.”
He moved closer to the cage and inspected it.
“You’re hurt!” Lilac exclaimed pointing to the scratch on Oakley’s neck.
“It’s nothing,” he said touching it briefly with his left hand. Then he asked, “Where’s the key to this cage?”
“The troll took it with her when she left.”
Oakley tugged at one of the bars with a finger then bent to look at it closer. He looked back at Lilac and spoke slowly, “I might be able to break the gate open, but it’s a bit risky. I’m not sure I can do it without hurting you.”
“I want to get out of here. Now tell me what I need to do.”
“Okay,” said Oakley. “Go to the far side of the cage and hold on as tight as you can.”
Lilac obeyed. Oakley lifted the sword he had taken from the goblin guard and slammed it against the lock. Lilac held on even tighter. Oakley alternated between trying to snap the lock and pry the on gate itself, until he got the cage open.
“Hurry, they might have heard that,” he said as he pulled away the last piece of the ruined door. Lilac shot out of the cage. The two friends hurried out the entrance which led to the outdoors. The fresh mountain air filled their lungs. They breathed in deeply. It was easy to find the path even in the dim moonlight. They hurried along it, stopping when they came to the place where Oakley had left his winged horse.
“Lilac, fly a little higher,” said Oakley. “See if you can spot Lasa and the others but don’t let any enemies see you. I have to find my winged horse then we’ll leave.”
“All right,” said Lilac and flew into the air.
As soon as she was gone Oakley turned and softly called the horse's name. There was no response. The animal must have wandered. Oakley called again more urgently but still there was no sign of the winged horse. Slowly the elf moved onto the rocks near the path, continuing to look for his mount and watching for enemies. He became more worried with every passing minute.
The wind seemed to turn colder as it brushed against his cheek. The sky darkened momentarily. Oakley glanced up and gasped in surprise when he saw huge bat wings blocking the moon. A new fear filled him as his mind registered what it was seeing. The strellogroth dove at him just as he started to run. His foot bumped a jagged place on the rock and he fell. The strellogroth flew toward him, claws extended. Oakley twisted and slashed upward with the sword. He sliced open one of the creature’s claws. The strellogroth let out a high pitched cry which made Oakley’s ears ring. The monster wrenched the sword out of the elf’s hands before he could react.
While the strellogroth was distracted by the sword, Oakley crawled away from its scrabbling claws. He stood, and was about to run again when he heard the sound of something whistling through the air. He ducked as the sword flew over his head and clattered over the rocky edge of the mountain. Another high pitched screech told him the strellogroth was still chasing him. He noticed a small depression in a boulder in front of him. He dropped and rolled into it.
The monster dropped a few feet to be in a better attack position, but Oakley was ready for it. He gathered up bits of loose rock and hurled them at the creature’s face yelling, “Get back you big bat!”
He was too frightened to care who else heard him. With a few mighty beats of its wings the strellogroth flew higher to avoid the stones Oakley was throwing. Oakley waited a few minutes, listening for the beast's return but he heard nothing. Slowly and cautiously, he came out of his hiding place. When nothing happened, he picked his way across the rocks.
He was halfway to the path when he heard the noise of wind rushing under giant wings. He froze in fear, but the sound continued to grow. He dropped to all fours slamming his hands against the hard stone. Huge bat-like wings passed inches above his head before the monster returned to the air. It was clearly toying with him. Oakley pushed himself into a kneeling position.
“Stop!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “Leave me alone!”
Out of the corner of his eye Oakley saw the strellogroth turn to circle back toward him. Something about the way the creature moved made it clear that it had become serious. It was coming in for the kill. Oakley scrambled to his feet as panic made his heart beat faster. The strellogroth slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. He screamed as wave of pain shot through him. As the monster attempted to wrap its claws around him, Oakley reached out blindly, grasping for something to keep him sane. His hand closed around a jagged rock and his mind snapped back into focus. He twisted and stabbed the rock into its leg. The creature gave a sharp noise that was almost a scream and pulled back to dislodge the makeshift weapon. The strellogroth charged him and slashed his chest with its claws, leaving a set of deep scratches. Before he could even attempt to retaliate, the beast pushed him backwards and pinned him to the ground. The monster’s great wings seemed to block out all light. It opened her mouth showing large fangs. Oakley realized he was hyperventilating. This was it, the strellogroth would kill him now. He hoped that his quest had been successful and the others had escaped. He shut his eyes and prayed it would end quickly.
Thwack! This new sound rang through the darkness and was followed by a sharp voice.
“Let him go, bat-brain!”
Lasa, it was Faralasa’s voice! There was another thwack, and the strellogroth shrieked. Oakley opened his eyes to see Lasa hovering near the great bat’s head. She brought down her stolen goblin sword once more on the monster’s already bleeding ear. The strellogroth forgot Oakley. It took to the air to battle Faralasa. Oakley dragged himself away from the fight.
“Over here!” someone hissed.
Oakley turned to see the fairies crouching on the rocky slope above him. Removing the tattered remains of his party shirt, he used it to bind his bloody chest. He then pulled himself into a hiding place beside the fairies, grunting as the effort caused pain to spread from the wounds. “You made it,” he whispered turning to Lilac. “I was afraid it might have got you.”
“I found Lasa and the others before it came,” Lilac replied. “We heard you scream came back to help.”
Oakley nodded and turned to watch as strellogroth and airwalker circled each other. Faralasa somersaulted to avoid the monster’s snapping jaws, then sliced off the strellogroth’s bleeding left ear. The strellogroth screeched and flapped its wings wildly in front of it.
Lilac flew a little higher then suddenly shouted, “Lasa, there’s a group of elvin warriors below us.”
“Is Beritta with them?” asked Faralasa while still slashing at the strellogroth.
“I can’t… wait yes! She's at their head riding Mist!”
Oakley turned in time to see a number of goblin and troll warriors pour out the front gate of the underground city.
“Beritta, look out!” he shouted.
He jumped to his feet, intending to launched himself into the path between the elvin princess and the enemy warriors, but a wave of pain and dizziness washed over him, forcing him to his knees.
Continue to episode twenty-two.
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