Trouble in the Keep
Tristan woke to the sounds of battle throughout the Keep. He rolled out of his blankets and started to dress as fast as he could. The guards at his door told him to stay in his room, but he reached for the Stone Egg, and raced past the guards with Neverend at his heels. ‘Lord Tristan!’ they yelled, as the guards began to chase after him. ‘We are sworn to keep you safe!’
‘I know!’ Tristan called over his shoulder as the guards started to catch up. ‘But I fear the Lady Elysia may be a target if the Jinn-Magician has returned.’
The guards saw there was no option but to follow him, as they charged through hallways where soldiers and their wolves ran to-and-fro in a panicked state. It seemed the Jinn-Magician was using his same trick to throw his scent in different directions to try to confuse the wolves. Tristan had also brought his bow and the remaining five arrows, but for now he relied on the Stone Egg, as he found the longer that he followed a certain path, the Egg grew warmer by the minute. And to his dismay, it was also the path that led to Elysia’s chambers.
When they arrived at her door, they found soldiers slain by the dozen! Tristan entered the room to find Elysia passed out beside her bed, though it seemed the Maiden’s Ward necklace had protected her once again, as she was unharmed and woke at his touch.
‘Was it the Jinn-Magician?’ Tristan asked, to which she nodded while rubbing her head.
‘The necklace protected me,’ she said after a sigh, ‘but he managed to somehow throw me across the room. I bumped my head and then everything went dark.’
‘That devil!’ Tristan yelled. ‘I’ll make him pay for it!’
‘It’s too dangerous,’ his guard Louis told him. ‘The Captain of the Guard will have our men take care of things. We need to keep you two as safe as we can.’
‘He’s right, Tristan’ Elysia said. ‘Don’t try to be a hero again.’
‘I’m not a hero!’ Tristan said in anger. ‘I’m just doing what needs to be done.’
‘You are a hero,’ Elysia said. ‘But I fear the Jinn-Magician is too powerful.’
‘I need to try,’ Tristan said, then he ordered the men to take Elysia and have her surrounded by soldiers that could protect her as best as they could. Then he whistled for Neverend to follow and notched an arrow to his bowstring. To his delight, the arrowhead glowed a dull yellow. ‘Come on, Neverend,’ he said. ‘We’re going to have another shot at him.’ Neverend growled and kept at his side as he made his way further down the hallway in pursuit of the demon.
***
Pastor Rook and Feligrihir were amongst those that gathered in the courtyard during the attack by the Jinn-Magician. Rook was considered too injured to be of use, and Feligrihir was there to lend what aid he could if the women and children were in danger. There were hundreds of soldiers surrounding the majority of the women and children that huddled together as the sounds of battle rang out from within the Keep. That Jinn-Magician must have been making a mess of Captain Roland’s soldiers, as the screams of men dying in battle were heard all too often.
‘Perhaps there is something more we can do,’ Rook said to Feli, who shook his head and replied, ‘Don’t risk your neck, Rook. You’re needed here to watch over the young and the frail.’
‘But we both have magic,’ Rook insisted. ‘We could be of some assistance to at least distract the demon, or perhaps send him packing.’
‘I hear what you’re saying,’ Feli said, ‘but it is too risky! We are old men, Rook. Useless old bastards that need to see out the rest of our days without rushing into battle like brave young men.’
‘I’d rather die now than face judgement as a coward,’ Rook said. ‘Join me, and we will force this creature to submit!’
It was then that a warp of space occurred in the distance of the courtyard, a purplish-red magic where suddenly a great serpent appeared that was over twenty feet long and thick as a barrel.
‘Looks like trouble has found us anyway,’ Feli said with a grimace. ‘You guard the people, Rook. I’ll see if I can find a way to disable this demon.’
The snake hissed as its head and neck was raised above the crowd, its body was pure black like marble and its eyes were red as burning coals. Rook watched as Feli stepped forth to wave his arms before him to create a spell. Magic bolts spread from his fingertips that launched upon the snake’s head and neck, magic with enough heat to vaporize most lower-level demons.
Feli was more adept at magic than Rook had ever been, and he knew that his old friend was just testing the strength of this creature with an Apprentice-Level Fire-Spell.
The snake shuddered and collapsed and went still, its body fried, and crispy as black smoke rose from its scales. There was a cry of awe from the onlookers, when suddenly the snake’s skin broke open, and two serpents of equal size broke forth from the first snake. Rook knew then that this was surely a descendent of the Hydra, a demon that used the Power of Division to increase its number each time it was defeated. This also left him with no idea of how they would defeat it.
Before he could warn Feli not to make another attempt, he watched his friend hurl a beam of brilliant blue light at one of the two snakes. This was a High Mage Level Spell, known as the Weiden Spear. The snake was obliterated by the blast of heat and light, but moments after its body was scattered about in pieces, the broken parts formed together to create two new serpents, so now there were three of them!
‘RUN!’ he yelled to the people, using magic to amplify his voice. ‘RUN! HIDE! FLEE NOW OR DIE!’ He stepped forth from the parting crowds to wield a portion of his magic that created a dome of translucent light that surrounded the snakes. The dome would keep them trapped long enough for the people to flee, but it would not hold much longer. He did not attempt to wound or kill these three serpents, as he was sure there would then be six snakes they would have to fight.
As soldiers gathered around both him and Feligrihir, many of them holding wolves on leashes that howled and growled, Rook looked to his old friend and asked, ‘Now what do we do?’
‘You were the one eager to prove yourself,’ Feli said while scowling at the snakes. ‘I really have no idea.’
As soldiers began to surround the translucent wall between them and the snakes, Rook called out to them, ‘Do not attempt to kill them! They will only Divide again, and we’ll be swamped!’
The serpents seemed to smile at his words, as if understanding him as they began to bash their heads against the dome of magic that kept them trapped for the time being.
‘We need a stronger magic to defeat them,’ Rook said to Feli. ‘Something that kills demons once and for all.’
‘What about Lord Tristan’s arrows?’ Feli asked with raised brows.
‘Now that you mention it,’ said Rook, ‘I did not see Tristan or Elysia amongst the crowds before they fled. I sent guards to fetch them as soon as I learnt of the attack. If something happens to either one of them it’ll be your neck and mine along with Captain Roland’s that hangs by sunup.’
‘You go and look for them, then,’ Feli said, ‘I’ll stay and here and do whatever I can think of to delay these wretched reptiles.’
***
Tristan followed the path of the golden arrow’s light, that hummed and pulsed as he was certain he was getting nearer the Jinn-Magician. While keeping the arrow drawn to his bowstring, in his right hand that held the arrow fletching and string pulled taught, he also held the Stone Egg, that became warmer as he neared his prey. The Egg also seemed to begin to pulse in time with the glow of the arrowhead, in small vibrating rhythms.
The sounds of wolves howling, and snarling sounded all around, and the shouts of soldiers on the hunt for the demon. They were soon following Tristan by the dozen as he caught up with each team of soldiers, and he moved as fast as he could while keeping his fear in check. He believed the demon could still harm him despite his enchanted arrows, though he hoped for some miracle that the Stone Egg would provide.
Finally, he had the Jinn-Magician in sight down one end of a long corridor. The soldiers must have cornered him from another side as the creature was caught sniffing the air and waving his jewelled staff in the air, as if to attempt to throw his scent once again to confuse the wolves. Perhaps some of the soldiers had run on ahead from those that were following him, in an attempt to surround the demon and cut off his escape.
Whatever the reason, he had a clear shot, and he released the arrow just as the Stone Egg began to burn in his palm. The Jinn-Magician saw the arrow coming and raised his staff to create another of those glass shields of his, but at that moment Tristan felt the Stone Egg burst with magic. In that same moment, the glass shield shattered before the arrow struck, passing through the shield’s path to plant deep in the demon’s breastplate. Tristan had been aiming for the centre of its chest as he had learnt from his old books that demon hearts were not on the left like human chests, but in the centre.
Golden light burst from the gaping wound amidst a splatter of black blood! The demon staggered and used its staff for support to stand again. Tristan was notching a second arrow to his bowstring when the demon aimed the ruby staff forwards and a bolt of bright red lanced for Tristan’s head!
The blast struck a globe of force that surrounded Tristan when the bolt made impact. The Stone Egg pulsed and burned red hot. The demon struck again but the blast was deflected by the same apparent forcefield that surrounded Tristan. The Stone Egg! he thought to himself in wonder. It was creating the magic forcefield.
Instinctively he moved closer to the demon, step by step, as the snarls of wolves approached down the hall from behind the demon, keeping him cornered and effectively trapped. The soldiers behind Tristan followed closely on his own strict orders that they do not attempt to engage the demon unless Tristan gave the order. The wolves held back on their leashes.
Like a cornered feral cat facing off against a cougar cub, the demon charged for Tristan, striking down against the forcefield. Tristan fell back in fear, the arrow flew off to the side to plant into the stone wall. The demon stood over him now, bashing at Tristan’s shield with that burning ruby staff, the other claw pressed to his bleeding chest. Tristan’s hand still clutching the Stone Egg pushed towards the demon as a reflex of fear. An epic force pummelled the demon, sending him flying backwards through the air at incredible speed. The Jinn-Magician landed on his feet; his masked head tilted sideways as if in disbelief.
Tristan stood, waving to his men, to shout, ‘Stay back! All of you!’
‘Allow us to intervene, please Lord Tristan?’ shouted Ron McCawley. He was the one holding Neverend tightly in his grip, and Tristan could hear the wolf pup snarling in rage as he fought to break free.
Tristan punched forwards with the Stone Egg clutched in his right fist, watching as the demon was pushed back a half-dozen feet and was sent tumbling.
‘I’ve got this!’ he shouted to his men, holding his fist up high for the moment. He brought it down in a slamming motion, and the demon was staggering to his feet before he thudded back onto the stone floor as if by a crushing blow.
‘We can take him, now, my lord!’ Ron shouted.
‘You cannot harm him!’ Tristan roared in reply. ‘Only magic can!’
Still on the floor, the demon clutched his staff and waved it above his head to vanish in a cloud of red smoke.
The men cheered and roared with laughter, shouting, ‘Tristan the Archer! Lord Tristan the Brave!’
Moments later more soldiers came rushing down the hall from behind where Tristan stood, stating that Pastor Rook had sent them to find Tristan.
‘We have great need of your magic arrows, Lord Tristan,’ one of the puffed-out soldiers said.
Tristan drew another arrow and said, ‘Lead the way.’ He was certain his right hand would be scarred from the heat of the Stone Egg, but he switched it to his left hand and switched hands with the bow and arrow.