Fan Fiction ❯ The Keeper of the Orbs ❯ New Power ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter Thirteen

New Power

 

King Baeriv raised his triangular head from his bone covered floor. Before him, a tiny human coward in fear. Baeriv chuckled deep in his throat. Torch light danced on his ebony scales as he rolled onto his side. The human yelped in fear as the furry, triangular head moved towards him.

 

"Did you get it?" Baeriv asked in his rumbling voice.

 

"Y-y-yes, Master B-B-Baeriv." the human stammered. "It is on its way now. As we speak, Master."

 

"Good." Baeriv rumbled. "Is it true that she has captured on of the element?"

 

The human nodded vigorously. "Y-y-yes." he said.

 

"Humph." the monstrous creature snorted. "Any news on how the Orbs were split in the first place?"

 

The human shook his head. "No Master." he said.

 

King Baeriv nodded. "Leave me." he growled, causing the walls to tremble.

 

The human left quickly. Baeriv lay his head back onto his furry paws. He had to know who had split the Orbs. It couldn't have been the Traevakin. Who was it?! Baeriv closed his crimson eyes and slept fitfully.

 

***

 

Sala shook her head vigorously. "No way, Frax!" she said.

 

"Please, m'lady." the human begged. "Allow me to come with you."

 

"She said no." Kale growled angrily.

 

Sala shook her head once more and turned on her heel. Frax had begged all morning and had even followed them to the outskirts of Dasic, begging even harder to go with them. Sala couldn't risk putting a human in danger. She didn't need more blood on her hands. There would be enough of it when this quest was over.

 

"Lady, please allow me to go with you." Frax begged.

 

"Fine!" she shouted. "But if you die, your blood is not on my hands."

 

Frax nodded. Sala looked back at Kale and smiled. She knew that her companion hated the human behind her. Kale ground his teeth, but held his tongue in check. The small group trekked towards the Strait Mountains until noon. When the sun reached its zenith, Yent suggested a slight halt.

 

Sala allowed it. Frax sat beneath a tree and heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Kale cocked an eyebrow at the young human. He couldn't be tired already. Sala saw Kale's confusion at Frax's lack of stamina.

 

"Humans are horrid lovers because of their lack of stamina." she said in Draegan.

 

Kale chuckled. "Is that why you turned to me that night?" he asked in their tongue.

 

"Something like that." Sala said in Common.

 

Kale chuckled once more. Yent knew that the two shared some private joke so he didn't asked what had been said in the strange, growling language. After fifteen minutes of resting, Frax was finally ready to go.

 

" 'Bout time." Kale growled.

 

Sala shot him a warning glance and started walking once more. The mountain path was rocky and, not for the first time, Sala was very glad for her calloused feet. Frax talked nonsense as they trekked along the mountain path. Kale began to growl lowly in his throat and only Yent and Sala could hear it.

 

"Lady Sala," Yent said softly.

 

"Sala, please." she said.

 

"Sala?" Yent corrected. "Could you sing for us?"

 

She nodded and began to sing softly. Frax snapped his mouth shut and listened to her lovely voice. As her voice grew louder, the wind blew lightly around her and seemed to join in. Sala smiled at the thought of the tiny element in the glass orb around her neck joining in her song.

 

A sudden shrieking cry broke in on her song. Sala turned, her mouth falling agape as she stared at the creature plummeting toward them. Kale whirled around and froze. He knew the monster better than any of the others.

 

“A Creka!” he shouted.

 

Frax let out a wail and dove behind a large boulder, dragging Yent with him. Kale rolled his eyes and glared up at the creature. Fur covered its body and leather wing protruded from its shoulder blades. Two small, beady black eyes danced with malicious intent as it hurtled towards them.

 

Kale let out a howl and leapt into the air. As he soared to meet the Creka, his body began to change. Coarse black fur sprouted from his skin and his bones cracked loudly as he transformed into his wolf form. Sala stared at the lovely creature flying to meet their enemy.

 

Kale snapped his fangs down on the Creka's foreleg and Sala heard the distinctive snap of bones breaking. Her stomach lurched at the sound. The Creka slung him off, sending Kale flying into the jagged mountain wall. Sala screamed as he hit the ground with a thud.

 

“KALE!” she cried.

 

He lay still, only the moving of his ribs told her he was still alive. Slowly he reverted to his human form. Sala glared up at the Creka. It flapped its mighty wings and let out a bone chilling scream. Sala screamed back at it. Even her scream was like a song.

 

“I can help you.” she heard the flowing voice of the wind spirit say.

 

“Then help me!” Sala ordered.

 

“Sing.” it said simply.

 

Sala nodded.

 

“Aid me now

My faithful friend

Rid me of this awful beast

 

Trap it now

And cause it pain

I want to see

If it bleeds red”

 

The song was simple and vengeful, but the spirit got the message. A gust of wind blew dirt and grit into the air around them. Sala coughed but kept her eyes on the creature. She stared in amazement as a sort of dust bubble formed around the creature.

 

“Now.” said the wind spirit.

 

Sala ran to where Kale lay. In his belt he kept a knife. She quickly tugged it out and whirled on the creature. He was trapped. Sala ran quickly and leapt into the air. As she hurtled towards the animal she could smell its fear of death. She passed though the dirt bubble and shoved the knife into the flesh of the Creka.

 

A loud wail filled the air. The creature writhed in pain and agony. Sala tore the knife out and landed on the ground. She smiled as the dust bubble dissipated and the corpse of the Creka fell to the ground with a thud.

 

Kale moaned and Sala ran to his side. She tilted his head back and up so she could look at him. He would live but his ribs were probably broken. Frax came out of hiding and watched her. Sala didn't even spare him a look.

 

“Come.” she said. “Kale needs a doctor.”

 

Frax nodded. Sala walked away, carrying Kale in her arms. She stopped to kick the corpse before continuing on.

 

***

 

The human coward before Baeriv as his master let out angry roars. All around him the cavern shook. The human let out a cry when Baeriv turned his crimson gaze on him. The massive creature opened his mouth and pounced on the human.

 

“F-f-forgive me, M-M-Master.” He begged. “It will not happen again.”

 

“No.” Baeriv said. “It won't.”

 

The human screamed as the monster snapped his fangs around him and swallowed him down. Baeriv moved back to his sleeping spot and seethed. Humans were useless. It was time for a different approach. He would kill her one way or another. It was only to find the right way.