For once, they had the sense to refrain from immediately pelting me with questions. Then again, perhaps they were simply too frightened. In any case, I was grateful to be able to devote all of my attention to finding a solution to our problem.
Retreat seemed the wisest course, but then I realized that whomever had been approaching Malachek’s castle—likely Baranak, in pursuit of us—could very well have found our escape route, and be approaching from that direction. Malachek himself revealing the bolthole did not seem entirely out of the question, given his openly pragmatic policies. Thus I filed away the idea of going back up the tunnel as our last option.
We could not simply stand there and absorb a pummeling from the green furies until my screens collapsed. That left one direction—forward. And as I considered it, new possibilities occurred to me.
Kneeling, I sought about me on the rocky shore for a stone of sufficient size. Finding a chalky gray one with black streaks, about the size of my fist, I stood and clasped it in both hands, closing my eyes. The procedure would have been considerably easier had I not been in middle of simultaneously maintaining our defensive shields. As it was, I managed to pour what I hoped was a sufficient charge of energy into the stone before the furies attacked again.
“Here,” I told Evelyn, handing her the rock, which had taken on a bluish glow.
Cassidy looked at it, frowning, then looked at me.
“We’re supposed to throw rocks at them?” he asked, incredulous.
“I would not throw that rock, if I were you,” I replied. “It should shield you for a time. Long enough, I hope.”
“Long enough for what?” Evelyn asked, clutching the stone to her chest.
“We shall see,” I replied, turning and walking back down the slope.
I could hear the furies swooping down again, behind me, toward the huddled humans, but then Evelyn shouted, “Look out!” I whirled, barely in time to raise a hand as one fury that had separated from the others struck out with her sword. The flames crashed into my hastily erected screen –probably the only thing that kept my arm from being severed—but the force of the impact hurled me backward, flailing about in midair before tumbling into the water.
Surfacing, I gasped for breath. The water was cold. Pushing my long hair out of my eyes, I looked up and saw the fury circling, about to attack again. I reached a decision then. Spinning around, I dove under the water, swimming away from the shore and downward.
Just behind me, I heard the fury plunge into the spot I had occupied seconds before. I braced for impact—for my theory to be proven wrong. It was not. The fury vanished, apparently dissolving back into the waters that had given her form. Encouraged, I swam on, deeper into the murky darkness.
After some few seconds, a greenish light became apparent ahead of me, somewhere on the bottom. I redoubled my efforts, and though I have never spent much time training as a swimmer, desperation spurred me on. Thinking back on it, I did feel confident the sword-wielding sisters up above could not reach me there, but I hardly could spend the rest of eternity holding my breath—and the humans’ plight may have provided some small motivation as well, though I doubt I would have shed a tear if Cassidy or Kim had met the business end of a green-flaming sword right about then.
I seemed to be moving at some velocity, for the light grew brighter quickly. Soon I was circling over its source. Despite the glare, I could just make out a tall, slender woman, stretched out in repose on the lake’s bottom, bald and naked and seemingly asleep—or dead. Every inch of her body radiated nearly blinding green luminance, as if she were a neon bulb.
As I’d had no time to prepare for such an environment, my lungs were demanding air. I had to act quickly. Swimming down to the lake’s bottom, I scooped the woman up in my arms—there was no overt sensation of
Retreat seemed the wisest course, but then I realized that whomever had been approaching Malachek’s castle—likely Baranak, in pursuit of us—could very well have found our escape route, and be approaching from that direction. Malachek himself revealing the bolthole did not seem entirely out of the question, given his openly pragmatic policies. Thus I filed away the idea of going back up the tunnel as our last option.
We could not simply stand there and absorb a pummeling from the green furies until my screens collapsed. That left one direction—forward. And as I considered it, new possibilities occurred to me.
Kneeling, I sought about me on the rocky shore for a stone of sufficient size. Finding a chalky gray one with black streaks, about the size of my fist, I stood and clasped it in both hands, closing my eyes. The procedure would have been considerably easier had I not been in middle of simultaneously maintaining our defensive shields. As it was, I managed to pour what I hoped was a sufficient charge of energy into the stone before the furies attacked again.
“Here,” I told Evelyn, handing her the rock, which had taken on a bluish glow.
Cassidy looked at it, frowning, then looked at me.
“We’re supposed to throw rocks at them?” he asked, incredulous.
“I would not throw that rock, if I were you,” I replied. “It should shield you for a time. Long enough, I hope.”
“Long enough for what?” Evelyn asked, clutching the stone to her chest.
“We shall see,” I replied, turning and walking back down the slope.
I could hear the furies swooping down again, behind me, toward the huddled humans, but then Evelyn shouted, “Look out!” I whirled, barely in time to raise a hand as one fury that had separated from the others struck out with her sword. The flames crashed into my hastily erected screen –probably the only thing that kept my arm from being severed—but the force of the impact hurled me backward, flailing about in midair before tumbling into the water.
Surfacing, I gasped for breath. The water was cold. Pushing my long hair out of my eyes, I looked up and saw the fury circling, about to attack again. I reached a decision then. Spinning around, I dove under the water, swimming away from the shore and downward.
Just behind me, I heard the fury plunge into the spot I had occupied seconds before. I braced for impact—for my theory to be proven wrong. It was not. The fury vanished, apparently dissolving back into the waters that had given her form. Encouraged, I swam on, deeper into the murky darkness.
After some few seconds, a greenish light became apparent ahead of me, somewhere on the bottom. I redoubled my efforts, and though I have never spent much time training as a swimmer, desperation spurred me on. Thinking back on it, I did feel confident the sword-wielding sisters up above could not reach me there, but I hardly could spend the rest of eternity holding my breath—and the humans’ plight may have provided some small motivation as well, though I doubt I would have shed a tear if Cassidy or Kim had met the business end of a green-flaming sword right about then.
I seemed to be moving at some velocity, for the light grew brighter quickly. Soon I was circling over its source. Despite the glare, I could just make out a tall, slender woman, stretched out in repose on the lake’s bottom, bald and naked and seemingly asleep—or dead. Every inch of her body radiated nearly blinding green luminance, as if she were a neon bulb.
As I’d had no time to prepare for such an environment, my lungs were demanding air. I had to act quickly. Swimming down to the lake’s bottom, I scooped the woman up in my arms—there was no overt sensation of
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