The Barrier: The Teorran of Time: Teen Fantasy Action Adventure Novel (29 page)

“Ah, so the rumor is true.” Groargoth said. His tortured black eyes pierced Azrak’s with a maddening leer.

“What rumors?” Azrak asked as he gripped his sword.

“Was it not just yesterday you were a hero? The one everyone loved, worshiped?” Groargoth asked. A low growl rumbled deep in his throat. “I remember watching you cut down twenty men in the blink of an eye, and for what, to run away, to escape. What a coward.” Groargoth said his voice deep and raspy.

Azrak flinched at the words. He was right, he had been a coward. A real soldier would have stayed and faced his accusers. Azrack sidestepped around a small bench.

“I’m here now.” Azrak said, with a low deep growl.

“And what do you suppose that means to me? You think you can just come in here and take what wasn’t yours to begin with?” Groargoth said.

He threw contents of his goblet on the small fire.

“Not mine to begin with?” Azrak asked.

“You know what I’m talking about, the fact that my inheritance was given to you. I was going to be left with the scraps.” Groargoth growled. He circled Azrak looking for signs of weakness. Groargoth was delirious with revenge, which made him an unpredictable foe. “You don’t have what it takes, you think me the bad guy, but you’re the one that was going to steal everything from me.” Groargoth said his tongue slipping in and out of his beak.

“Oh, you see that’s just it, I do, and now that King Ruadan is gone there is nothing keeping me from killing you.” Azrak growled. He pulled his blade from its sheath.

Groargoth picked up his battle ax from the table.

“I have been waiting a long time to do this.”

With both paws on his battle ax, Groargoth lifted his arm high and brought the heavy blade down. Azrak sidestepped and caught the ax in the center of his blade. He locked his blade against the ax, twisted his wrist, and threw his arm out. Groargoth allowed the staff to spin in his paw. At the last second he gripped the staff and the sword slid off. Groargoth took a step back, rotating the ax behind him and over his head. He lunged toward Azrak with a full swing, twisting at the waist for added momentum. Azrak ducked, sidestepped, twisted his paw with his talons release and jabbed at Groargoth’s side, slicing through his flesh. Groargoth gripped the staff as the pain thrust his brain deeper into the frenzy he suffered. 

Azrak threw the table out of his way as he circled. Dishes clattered to the floor and echoed through the large room. Groargoth swung his ax around and whipped it toward Azrak. Azrak withstood Groargoth’s strike. He slid under Groargoth’s ax and stepped out of the way. Groargoth’s eyes widened with a hint of fear. Lowered his arm and spun the ax’s tip upward as he stepped back. Groargoth stepped forward and flicked his wrist upward, slicing Azrak on the chest barely below his neck. Azrak roared as he stepped back. Azrak attempted another strike, which Groargoth blocked.

“I tire with this nonsense, I thought you were ruthless, you’re nothing but a whimpering cub.” Groargoth said.

He faked an advance then stepped to the side as Azrak stumbled. Groargoth whipped his ax around him, coming up in a diagonal slice. Azrak dodged, spinning around with the momentum. Azrak threw out his blade in time to catch Groargoth’s ax in the crook, and yanked it out of his paws. It skidded across the ground coming to rest on the other side of the cave. Groargoth growled and lowered himself to the ground. He readied himself to pounce.

Azrak leaned down onto all fours and circled Groargoth. Groargoth leapt at Azrak who leapt toward Groargoth. Azrak gripped around Groargoth’s neck, unleashing his talons, and thrust his beak into Groargoth’s neck. Groargoth squirmed and thrust his beak into Azrak’s neck. They reared onto their hind legs and pushed against each other. Black and red feathers went flying. Groargoth moved Azrak across the floor until he was nearly pinned against the wall. Azrak rolled out from under his grip.

Groargoth landed on his front legs and circled quickly. Azrak reached up with a paw and struck Groargoth on the side of the head knocking him to the ground. He pounced onto Groargoth and pinned him to the ground. He growled and reached for the neck, when Groargoth folded up his hind legs and launched Azrak across the room.

Azrak smacked up against a jagged stalagmite. He roared as a jagged edge pierced the side of his back, and fell to the ground. Groargoth pawed at the ground pacing back and forth.

“The mighty Azrak has fallen after all. What would your men say about you now? Watching you fight like a cub.” Groargoth said.

Azrak tried to get up, but the rock shard was lodged in his side. Azrak reached out slowly as Groargoth paced. He gripped a broken shard of rock, and slid it next to him. Groargoth reared on his hind legs and leapt toward Azrak. Azrack gripped the shard tightly as Groargoth’s beak came in for the kill strike. Azrack pulled the shard up and stabbed it into Groargoth’s heart. Groargoth stopped instantly. He looked down at the jagged rock protruding from his chest and staggered backward. The sudden loss of his heart beating caused a lack of oxygen. Disoriented he fell backward with a thud.

*************************************

Inelius returned to the room and found it empty. The portal swayed gently from the rippling effect it gave after items went through it.

“Oh, blast.” He muttered.

He set the heavy book onto a table and hobbled out of the room. As quickly as he could, he made his way to where Jagwynn was sun bathing in the great hall.

“Miss Jagwynn dear, you must find the Minca and take the sword to Shaz. Hurry now, you know the way.”

Jagwynn lifted her head and blinked. She leapt to her feet and scaled the staircase. A moment later she trotted down the stairs with the sword in her mouth and the Minca scurrying down behind.

“What is the trouble?” Tukill asked.

“Shaz and Serin have slipped through the portal.”

The Minca gasped and Tukill rubbed the back of his neck.

“What are we going to do?”

“Jagwynn will take you to where he is. You must go quickly.”

“What? Ride on her back?” Ladtwig said

Tukill smiled big, his heart leapt at the idea of getting to ride the massive cat. Jagwynn rolled her eyes as if to say “
Oh, brother, I have to put up with them
.” She lowered to the floor and Tukill jumped on.

“Hurry up.” He grumbled

“Fine.” Ladtwig groaned.

“Make haste, there is no time.” Inelius said

“Where are we going?” Ladtwig asked.

“Jagwynn knows the way, she is his spirit companion sent by the Sun Goddess.

“How do you-“

Jagwynn lunged forward causing the Minca to nearly fall off. Tukill reached down and grabbed their packs sitting by the open door as she ran out of the castle.

Sacrifice

The rancid sent of the Velsharoon witch’s foul breath stung her nose as she stood over her. Small torches lit around the room gave little light to the vast cavern. Jagged rock walls surrounded a well smoothed platform on which sat the sacrificial alter.

"Welcome to my lair." the Velsharoon witch said, "I'm glad you could join me."

"Did I have a choice?"

"Now, now, don't be that way. It saddens me you think me to be so evil."

"You are..." Serin said and spat in her face.

The Velsharoon witch wiped her face, "Nasty girl, it's a good thing I'm going to suck all the magic out of you, you don't deserve it."

"Oh and you do?"

"Silence." the witch said, her voice raised and sharp, "I've had enough of this."

"And what's 'this' you're talking about, your ego?" Serin said.

"Ah, so you want to play that little game, do you. Well I can tell you it's not going to do you any good. As much as I love a good riddle I have more important things at hand."

“Like stealing magic from innocent creatures.”

The witch picked up a long skinny pick. She dipped it into a cauldron which was sitting over a small fire. The pick turned from a shiny silver to deep orange and then blood red. Steam wafted from the tip as she waved the pick. She spoke words Serin didn't understand.

"That's right elemental, you're too weak for this kind of magic, and I'm the only person who can use this kind of magic."

“If you call yourself a person.”

Serin closed her eyes and thought of Shaz. He had this kind of magic, she had seen it before, but he was gone. She didn’t know happened to him and feared he’d been killed and now it was her turn. Her pulsating heart beating in her chest caused her stomach to churn with nerves. A small tear formed in the corner of her eye. She turned so the witch couldn't see her weakness.

"Do what you must." she said, sagging into the cold rock of the stone slab.

"Ah, now that's more like it."

She took the pick and repeating the words Gavin Rhill had taught her. Placed the tip over Serin’s wrist and moved up her arm to her arm pit. The pain was so unbearable, Serin screamed. Her body tightened, her back arched off the cold stone.  The witch moved the pick carefully, not to touch the skin. The dark magic it held sucked out Serin’s magic.  She placed the tip into the bowl on the alter. A steady stream of purple liquid splashed into the bowl.

The small reprieve left Serin gasping for air. Her chest heaved heavily as she tried to gain her breath back. Tears fell freely from her eyes. Her hair and clothes now soaked from sweat. The witch begun again and Serin’s body writhed in the pain. Pieces of her soul were being taken from her. Each time it left a dark gaping hole inside her chest. She wanted to die.

*************************************

The cavern was dark and damp with an eerie silence. Shaz sat with his back to the cold rock wall. He had no energy. His wrists were bound behind his back. His head hung over his bent knees. Darkness surrounded him. A hint of iron from the depths of the mountain left bitterness in his mouth. He had been in this cell for what seemed like days, hungry and cold.
How did I get here? What happened? All I remember is soaring through the portal. After crashing to the ground, and couldn’t use my magic to open it back up
.
After trying a few times everything went dark and I woke up here
, he thought.

The tingle of magic he now was accustomed to disappeared and had been replaced with magic which stung like prickly thorns. The darkness overpowered his thoughts. His head ached more than ever before. Scattered and mixed up, he shook his head several times. He tried to clear it but the darkness kept coming.
I can't do anything more
. He had tried several times to break the cords he was bound with and decided they had been enchanted with Shadow magic.

I have failed, there's nothing left for me, I've let everyone down, Serin, the Minca, the council, the world. It's not fair, asking this of me in the first place, I'm a regular guy, a selfish one too, I give up,
he thought. In the corner of his mind he heard something but couldn't quite place it. Shaz sat up straight and shook his long hair out of his face. He peered into the distance as if he could see through the darkness and searched his mind. The sound became as aloud as though it were right behind him. Screams of pain and terror came from another cavern.

“Serin.”

Shaz shuddered with fear. The first time real fear had actually crept into his mind. He leaned on the cold stone as tears ran from his eyes. Shadows floated through the darkness, as he sat listening to her screams of agony. He soon realized that they echoed around him.
How can I hear her? Where is she?
They were coming through the small hole in the rock behind him. The thought came out of the darkness as if someone had turned on the lights. He jumped to his feet.

A minute light shown through the tiny hole, he moved closer, and closer till his nose touched the cold surface of the rock wall. Serin was lying on a smoothly carved altar in the center of the room. Her wrists and ankles bound at each corner with the cords. The Velsharoon witch, in her blood red robe stood bent over a book. A large bowl sat on the rock platform between Serin's feet. The bowl had purple liquid in it. Long thin cuts had been made into Serin's arms and legs.

"Oh no, no, no, no!" he said, slamming his forehead into the wall. "Blast, that hurt."

Her skin even more pale, her soft purple markings that now covered most of her body were a deeper shade of violet. Shaz noticed an opalescent string of glittering light coming from a large oval shape, which stood on another pillar opposite of the book. He saw the reflection of a man.

"Gavin Rhill,"

The witch was doing Gavin Rhill’s dirty work. The more he tried to get out of the darkness, the angrier he became. His heart beat faster and his muscles tightened. Sweat formed at his hairline. The anger seemed to push out the darkness. He closed his eyes and searched into his heart. Pure fury burst from his bosom. He had spent too much time thinking.  It was time to just feel and right now he was pissed.

"Bonds release." he commanded.

The bonds obeyed and fell from his wrists. He searched his mind for a way out. Around the edges of the darkness was a fuzzy blur. The blackness shuddered as he touched it. It appeared that the darkness was only a shroud of magic. He pushed away the darkness and a small tunnel appeared.
How am I going to defeat the witch without my sword
? He asked himself.

"You don't need the sword, use your shadow magic." came the voice of Drafang.

He slipped effortlessly into the tunnel, crawling for several feet. The light grew until he came to the opening. The witch moved to Serin’s legs. She was patient and careful, sliding the pick from her inner thigh to her ankle. Collecting as much magic as the pick would hold. She put it in the bowl. Each time the pick deposited magic the mirror glowed a little bit brighter. Soon a gentle glow formed around the mirror hiding its appearance. As he rounded the corner of the tunnel, Shaz saw the witch move the pick to Serin's navel which made him gasp.

That was enough. Shaz shot out of the tunnel and into the cavern with lightning speed. He leapt toward the witch, thrusting his hand toward the pick sending a burst of magic and knocking it from her crinkled hand. The witch jumped back and came out of a trance. Shaz hurled himself at the witch, knocking her to the ground. The anger now surged through his body giving him the desire to kill. He rolled off and came to a crouched position. The witch pulled herself up. Shaz reached out toward the altar and untied the ropes without touching them, then sent a burst of magic at the witch sending her sprawling backward into the rock wall. The witch yelped with pain.

“So your magic does work here.” the witch said, her voice shaky but eerie, coming to her feet.

Shaz leapt out of the way as she shot a burst of magic over his head, and blasted the rock wall behind him. Serin lay on the altar, not knowing fully what was going on. She was consumed by the pain in her body. She was so drained that she couldn’t lift her eyes. Even though the ropes were loosed, she couldn't move.

Shaz ran to her, but didn't make it. The witch plunged a dagger at Shaz slicing his shoulder. He dove behind the pillar. As he bumped up against it, the mirror fell to the ground, and rolled across the floor, ending up propped against the wall. The witch lunged, but Shaz sent another wave of magic. The witch was lifted off her feet and flipped head over heels twice before slamming into the wall.

"Shaz, over here." yelled Turkill, pulling the Honor Blade behind him.

Blood dripped from his lip and landed on his stained tunic.

"What happened to you?" Shaz asked.

"Never mind." he scowled wincing through one eye, the other swollen shut, "take this," He slid the sword to the front so Shaz could see it, "Now go."

Shaz sensed the buzzing of energy surging toward them and threw Turkill out of the way as he somersaulted from the oncoming blast.

"Get her out of here, she needs water!" Shaz yelled to Turkill.

"I'll get her, you get that nasty-"

The witches stinging magic interrupted Turkill. It caught Turkill square in the chest, thrusting him backward and smacked him into the sharp broken stone wall. Turkill felt his aching head. His fingers were covered in blood.

"Blast." he cursed, staggering to his feet once more and hid behind the large mirror in front of the altar.

The witch was wearing an amulet identical to the one she tried to steal from Shaz, that he now wore as a belt buckle.
That’s how the portal opened here,
Shaz thought.
So that’s what she was up to in the city
,
But why here, why this portal
?

“Why this portal?” Shaz asked.

“You see, my special gift is, I receive flashes of one’s life, just by touching them. In Ebassia, I saw the rift and the mirror and knew I had to find it. I followed the clues you gave me.” The sting of responsibility shot through his chest. He deflected a sizzling hot energy bolt. “That’s how I knew who Serin was. I know who all your Dodjen friends are, and as soon as I take Serin’s and your magic, I’ll move on to them. Nothing can stop me.”

“You won’t get away with this." Shaz said, circling around the spilled blood oil, the gold dish sat half empty on the ground.

The witch laughed a hearty cackle.

“I already have.”

"Come on, we've got to get you out of here." Turkill whispered to Serin.

"You boast of your magic, yet you are nothing compared to me." she said.

The witch’s eyes flash toward the mirror.

"You mean Gavin Rhill’s magic? You need that amulet, I don’t." Shaz said.

"Ha, you think that the training you received from that washed up, pathetic grandfather of yours is enough to defeat me?" she said.

"You know what the funny thing about this is?"

"What?" she asked.

"You can’t win without this.” Shaz spun his blade and struck the chalice.

"No!"

The gold bowl shattered into pieces. Shaz twisted the blade over his head and blocked the witch’s next blast of magic. It rebounded around the room.

Serin was barely able to see. Turkill tried with all his might to move her but she was too big for him. He tried shaking her violently then he remembered the water bag in his satchel outside the door. He slipped down and ran around the outside edge of the room back toward the tunnel.

Shaz never felt so invigorated, he’d fought so long to keep his anger under control but now he didn't care. He glanced over and saw Serin’s lifeless body and thought
if she was going to die so was the witch
. The witch grabbed the medallion and held it out. Dark purple shadow magic shot out from the medallion. Shaz leapt out of the way. The bolt of magic split open a tall stone column, shattering it into pieces. A sharp fragment lodged itself deep into Shaz’s flesh. He cried out and fell to the floor.