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Neen struggled to focus, she felt dizzy and everything around her appeared blurry. Her skin burned momentarily where the droplets of elixir had landed on her bare skin. For a few moments she felt as though her blood was on fire. She tried to shake off the sensation and stand, she had to stop Gravlok, although she did not know why. Her mind started to drift again. She started thinking of Sliver, but that made her sad for some reason so she stopped. Then she noticed her hands and how far away they looked. She tried to touch them together, but found they were too elusive.
Heliodor’s voice caught her attention for a moment and the next thing she knew she was flying through the air again, end over end like a tumble weed. She hit something hard that stopped her mid flight and she blacked out.
When she regained consciousness again the strange sensation had gone and was replaced by a rather nasty headache as well as various other painful sensations all over her body. She sat up slowly, then it all came back to her and the anguish was almost too much to bear. There was no time for self pity however, because Gravlok was now standing over Heliodor firing bolt after bolt of lightning into him. Heliodor howled in agony as his body thrashed about violently.
With Sliver gone it was up to her to kill Gravlok, but how? Her guns had been flung away from her frozen hands with the first fireball. She had no time to waste recovering them if she was going to save Heliodor.
She tried to think of a spell that would do the trick, but she had nothing that was likely to harm the orc. At best she was going to be able to distract him. Another round of lighting arced from Gravlok’s hands and into Heliodor’s chest. To make matters worse there were now undead orcs crawling out of a deep fissure in the middle of the street.
Neen smashed her fists onto the cold tar surface of the car yard in despair. She had failed in stopping Gravlok, she had let Sliver die and now she was about to watch Heliodor die too. Her shoulders slumped and for the first time in a very long time she started to cry. What was the use of fighting on when there was nothing left to fight for anyway? Why struggle to survive when there was now no way to stop the dark magic plague?
She wished she had her guns still because right at that moment she wanted to put a bullet between her own eyes and end it all. Then suddenly a gentle hand rested upon her shoulder. She spun around quickly expecting an undead orc, but instead found Vassal looking back at her.
“It’s ok Neen just relax,” he said in a sagely tone as he let the magical blue energy within him flow into her.
A wave of calm suddenly washed over her and the words of a spell started to form in her mind. It was a powerful spell and one that she had never known before. She spoke the words of the intricate spell in the most ancient of tongues, long forgotten. She spoke it as though she had known it all her life. When she finished she placed her palm onto the ground and the tar surface began to melt and move and morph until finally a mighty black Griffin rose up, formed from the molten asphalt.
It screeched loudly and Gravlok turned towards it his eyes wide in surprise. He spun around quickly and cast his lightning bolts into the asphalt Griffin, but it had no effect and the beast launched into the air and raced towards him at incredible speed. It smashed aside everything in its path, vehicles and undead orcs alike.
In desperation Gravlok grabbed Heliodor’s staff and launched fireballs at the oncoming Griffin. They also had no effect and the beast was quickly upon the orc. It snatched him into the air with its sharp front talons then tore apart his chest ferociously with its beak. Gravlok started to scream, but it was cut short as the Griffin tore him apart and feasted vigorously on his remains.
Vassal removed his hand and Neen turned back to look at him again as though she had just woken up from a very real dream
“How did you do that?”
“That is not important right now. You need to focus. Go help Heliodor.”
“What is the use? We failed and we cannot stop it now.”
“While you have the will to survive there is still hope Neen, but we will need him.”
“Fine, you stay here while I go get my guns,” she ordered.
“No,” he replied resolutely and she looked back at him with genuine surprise. He reached out and grabbed her hand, allowing the magic to flow into her again. Her eyes glazed over and her mind and body relaxed. “This part of the journey you must travel alone Neen, but rest assured we will meet again soon.”
A few moments later she snapped out of the magically induced daze and Vassal was gone. Meanwhile the street between her and Heliodor was rapidly filling with undead orcs who had arisen from their mass graves deep under the ground. The Griffin ignored the orcs and continued to devour Gravlok.
“Fat lot of good you are,” she mumbled to herself.
She needed her guns so she leapt into the air and flew above the reach of the orcs so she could search in relative safety. She quickly spotted one and then the other. She swooped down quickly to grab the first in an acrobatic manoeuvre that would have left the red baron proud. However her enchanted pistol was too close to a smashed car to pick it up on a fly by so she was forced to land and quickly grab it.
She felt vulnerable on the ground and was alert as soon as she touched down. That was when she realised that none of the undead orcs were paying her any attention at all. They were all ambling off in various directions, with some now moving specifically towards Heliodor.
She fired several rounds from her dark elixir pistol into the air to get their attention and hopefully draw them away from Heliodor. The Griffin stopped eating for a second and looked at her then returned immediately to its grizzly work. All of the undead orcs in the street also stopped and turned towards her.
“Come and get me!” she shouted, but to her disbelief they ignored her and continued moving off as though she were not there at all. She fired her gun again, but the undead were undeterred.
She had to act fast or the orcs nearest would be on top of Heliodor so she flew towards him at top speed, firing her enchanted pistol as she went. She disintegrated several of the orcs that were closest to Heliodor. He has still not moved since the Griffin had killed Gravlok.
She landed next to him and felt for a pulse with one hand and fired her pistol with the other. He was still alive, but his pulse was weak and he was unconscious. How she was supposed to move someone of his size was beyond her. She slapped his face as hard as she could with one tiny hand as she squeezed off another round. He did not even stir. In frustration she picked off another few undead. Then she looked over at the huge Griffin who was now sitting idly by preening its wings.
“Hey you!” she shouted. “Why don’t you get off that lions ass of yours and help!”
The Griffin suddenly stood on all fours and raced towards her, knocking more undead orcs out of its way as it went. Fearful that the beast wanted a fairy as dessert after a main course of orc she drew her black elixir pistol as well, but she did not fire. The Griffin skidded to a halt in front of her and screeched loudly, but made no move to attack her. She slowly holstered her guns and when she did the Griffin seemed to relax and slowly bowed its head towards her. She reached out tentatively and patted its beak.
“I don’t know how much you understand, but I need your help to save my friend.”
The Griffin seemed to understand her clearly and it gently picked up Heliodor in its Talon’s and leapt into the air where it hovered expectantly. She launched into the air and flew up next to it.
“Stay here,” she ordered and she spiralled back down to where Sliver still lay impaled on the Minotaur’s horn. She landed next to him and crouched down under his hanging form so she could see his face. His eyes looked somehow less cold in death than they had in life. She cupped his face gently in her hands and kissed his cold lips. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks.
“You tried to teach me not to love anyone and then you made me fall in love with you. Losing you was the cruellest thing you have ever done to me Sliver. I promise you this, I will never
love anyone or anything ever again...”
She wiped away her tears and vowed to herself that she would never cry again. She flew back to the awaiting Griffin feeling dead inside just like the orcs below. When she reached the beast she landed gently on its back and patted its neck.
“Take me to someone who can save Heliodor,” she ordered.
There was nothing left to do now except survive.
END
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About the Author
Shane Griffin lives in Australia near the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. He is a part time author and full time scientist. He has been writing science fiction and fantasy since age 19. He has published over 20 short stories in magazines and ezines such as Potato Monkey, Antipodean Science Fiction, Ripples, Eclecticism and Masque Noir.
With stories like Accident Man, Border Patrol and the Necrofairies proving popular with readers Shane is now focusing on e-publishing under his own label - Poupichou Press.
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Other Titles by This Author
Science Fiction Short Stories
Accident Man
Antipodean Collection
Antipodean Collection2
Barkley's Body Swap and Pawn Shop
Border Patrol
Blue Pelagic
Cancer Stick Addiction
Cure Overdose
Deathday
Drifter
Generation Next The Real Thing
Heir Neekay
Long Odds
Manjac and the Nosebleed Section
Necrofairies
Shady Hazy and the Subliminal Criminal
World War H
Fantasy Short Stories
The Duel
The Mercenary
Visions of Magic - The Kidnap of Gabrielle Ulan
Novels
Apocalyptica - Rogue Memories
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