Page 96 of Lady's Steed
Despite being injured, the monster didn’t relent. Peppered with cuts and gashes, it kept snarling and hissing as it attacked.
A fourth monster emerged and noticed Josslyn, weaponless, wringing her hands.
This had to stop. Avera ran for the chapel. Would destroying the altar get rid of the monsters or at the very least stop their spawning?
As she entered, more smoke had begun to rise from the basin. She raced for it, noticing more than half the moisture in the basin was gone, indicating the source of the threat—the puddle—couldn’t produce endlessly. At the same time, too much monster-making fluid remained. Despite fearing what it might do on contact, she slapped her hand in the water. The intense cold of it had her sucking in a sharp breath.
The discomfort paid off as the forming creature dissipated, the threads of fog splitting apart before evaporating. She slapped at the water again, gritting her teeth in preparation for the intense chill. Only a small puddle remained at the bottom.
She went to slap it only to pause as its dark surface turned cloudy, then bubbled, the remaining water pooling strangely to form a face at the bottom of the basin. It reminded her of a basic drawing, circles for eyes, a nose that was only a fat blob. A mouth whose lips split apart to whisper.
“Did you really think you could escape, bastard queen?”
“Zhos? But how? You’re stuck under that frozen lake.”
“I might be trapped but I am mighty. My influence is growing. Even now, some of the melted lake, the water imbued with my essence, spreads across the land. Soon, I will be free.”
A frightening thing to learn, although it most likely explained how Benoit met Zhos. “You’re going to stay trapped. Once I find those stones?—”
Laughter interrupted, a low, gravelly sound that sent shivers spiking up and down her spine. “As if you can stop me.I should let you go on that fruitless quest. It is certain death, but then I’d lose the satisfaction of seeing the end of the Voxspira line.”
Doubt wanted to taint her reply, but she remained head high and strong. “I will succeed, and you will remain in your prison. And then I will oust your puppet, Benoit, and take my rightful place on the throne.”
“Never,”it hissed, and she realized then it had distracted her as a noise at her back had her dropping without thought. The monster that had followed her missed, its swipe of claws whistling overhead, but it tried again.
Time to end these creatures made of magic and spite.
She rolled to her feet and dashed to the altar, slapping her hand to remove the last of the water which did nothing to rid her of the creature, just Zhos and his annoying words. The thing rushed her, only its lack of speed enabling her to evade by springing to the top of the altar.
Not unscathed. A claw caught the rear of her thigh, tearing through breeches, leaving a bloody, burning scratch.She ignored the sting to turn her sword upside down and dropped to the altar, slamming the pommel into the basin.
The impact vibrated up her arm, but the damp bowl didn’t even crack. The monster hissed, grinning as it saw its imminent victory. It recognized she had nowhere to go, no weapon to fight it.
A sword entered its back and the tip emerged through its belly before ripping upwards. The monster had no time to do anything but die. As it fell, she saw the captain standing behind, looking grim.
“I thought you were running away,” she riposted as she sat on the altar, holding in a wince as her injured leg protested.
“A smart man would have,” he grumbled.
“Are the monsters outside dead?” she asked, sliding from the bone altar, leaving a smear of blood behind.
“Yeah. They might be resistant to regular steel, but my blade of wolfframm cuts through anything. Even evil conjurations. It helps they’re slow.” Said with a grin.
“Where did you get your sword?” she asked. It would be handy to have if she had to face more Zhos creations.
His smile faded. “It was my father’s. He gave it to me before he sent me away. And before you ask, weapons made of wolfframm are rare. Only a few were ever forged, and of them, this is the only one I’m aware of that made it out of Verlora.”
“Maybe I’ll find one when I visit,” she said pertly. She began heading for the door only to realize he was staring at something behind her.
Not more monsters! She quickly turned, only to see the altar beginning to fall. The spot she’d just sat on crumbled, flakes of bone dropping to the floor. The basin cracked as chunks fell. The entire thing collapsed in mere moments.
A frowning captain glanced at her, then the ruined altar. Did he realize the destruction began where she’d left blood behind?
Didn’t matter. She had more pressing things to deal with. She exited to find Gustav sitting on the ground, a hand pressed to a wet spot on his side.
“You’re injured,” Avera cried, dropping to her knees beside Josslyn who rummaged through her pack.
“’Tis but a scratch,” he grunted. “Lyn’s insisting on a bandage.”