Draq watched as Grewen attempted to wedge his bulky body through the doorway. Sniffing the air, the dragon lifted his long muzzle upward. Something wasn’t right. His instincts were warning him of danger. Searching the platform, all was calm as Avanda and Gluic had wandered back to the water’s edge. “Brimmelle, get Grewen back out here.”
Brimmelle didn’t like the tone of the dragon’s voice, let alone Draq himself. “He’s almost through the doorway. What do you need?”
“Now, Fesh!” Draq yelled. “Get him out here, right now!”
“Fine.” Tossing his hands in the air, the Fir worked his way under the giant to relay Draq’s message.
Draq scrutinized the landscape for anything out of place. Again, the only activity was the two female Nums at the platform’s edge.
Avanda could see in Gluic’s face that something was wrong. “Gluic, are you ill?”
She did not reply. Lowering herself to one knee, Gluic softly touched the ends of her fingers to the tile platform.
“What is it?” Avanda asked.
Gluic waited a few seconds as she tuned into the vibrations she felt from her fingertips. “Here it comes.” Then, unexpectedly, she pushed the youth toward Grewen and the doorways. “Run child! Run!”
Avanda was confused and turned after only a few steps. In doing so, she watched in horror as an enormous snake-like tail reached out of the lake, grabbed Gluic, and pulled her underwater.
“Gluic!” Avanda yelled as she stepped forward a few paces with arms stretched out in a wasted effort to save her.
Draq had seen the assault and was in the air and past Avanda before she realized what had happened. After a sudden rotation of his body to fly upside down, he arched his head back to dive aggressively into the water after the elder Num.
Avanda took another step and stopped before looking back at Brimmelle who was running toward the water to save his mother. Behind him, Grewen had finally backed out of the doorway.
Missing the event, Grewen searched for Gluic and Draq as he followed Brimmelle. “Avanda, get to the doorway,” Grewen yelled across the platform.
“But Gluic was pulled into the water. We have to do something,” she replied.
“Get away from the water, right now!” he demanded.
It was very uncharacteristic of Grewen to order her in such a manner. Knowing she had to follow his words, she struggled with the idea of just running away when Gluic was in trouble. She quickly met him halfway plead for his help. In doing so, she could see that his eyes were fixated on something behind her, so she turned to investigate.
Along the shore was a soft outline of an object coming into view. It quickly materialized into a ship that had been docked on the opposite side of the platform from their rowboat. The illusion of invisibility had been removed and several Del’Unday stood on its top deck watching the new arrivals.
“Delvorian, you’re with me,” ordered a large white wolf-like creature with two long muscular tentacles extending from its upper shoulder blades. “The rest of you prepare the boat for sailing. Darkmere should return soon.”
Controlled movement of the thick tentacles was frequently interrupted by a loose snap, much like a bullwhip. But instead of just the sound of a crack, it gave off a strong electrical discharge that could be heard, seen, and smelled.
The mutated wolf-like creature jumped off the ship and onto the tiled platform. With strong shoulders that were taller than a Num, its tentacles raised up higher than Grewen’s head. This was a Wolvian. Intelligent, calculating, and very dangerous.
A second Del’Unday leaped from the ship and landed next to the Wolvian. It was a Brandercat. Landing with a slight favor to one side, Grewen could see a deep scar on his right shoulder.
“So we meet again. I have a score to settle with your short companion when he returns. But you will do nicely until then.” The chameleon cat limped forward from the injury Thorik had given him north of Woodlen. “Ka’Ru, you can have the Mog. I’ve got the taste for Num today.”
Growls, barks, and cheers from the boat were quickly extinguished as Ka’Ru turned his head toward them. This was not entertainment for him. This was a necessary removal of an obstacle. The Del’Unday on the ship quickly returned to their duties, under the watchful eye of the Wolvian.
Grewen pushed Avanda behind him. “Run to Thorik. Tell him that it’s a trap.”
She refused to run, leaving her friends in such peril. She looked to the water and wondered what was happening under the surface.