Chapter Eleven
The darkness of the cave consumed Jack and Sarah. Sarah slipped her hand into his, afraid the elves might turn on them at any moment. The elves insisted they carry no torch light or use spells to warn the creature of their approach. Nicole walked at the head of the party, reaching out with her Woodland senses for the creature’s magic. Deeper and deeper into the cold dampness they searched. Tension hung in the air with the passing hours and no sign of the Tar Creature.
Sarah’s thoughts screamed out to find Hopper. She had to force herself to concentrate on the creature and searched her mind for a spell that might aid them, finding none. It was just as Prince Cabal had said; the book was simply a learning device for the unskilled. There must be a way to kill the creature.
When it injured Hopper, she had thrown fire at the creature. Where had it come from? How had she conjured it? She had not felt the magic flow through her as before. It had been a rush of power brought on by her anger. However, it did not hurt the creature; it did not even mar the surface of its skin. Nicole motioned for them to stop.
Jack squinted in the darkness and bumped into the irritated warrior in front of him. Shrugging Jack apologized silently. No reaction came from the warrior, as he stood frozen before Jack. The Tar Creature lay in a vast cavern a few meters ahead. Prince Cabal moved without sound through the group to where Sarah stood. Sensing his presence, every muscle in her body tensed.
Cabal whispered in Sarah’s ear, “We’re going to charge the creature head on. You must attack it quickly, before it recognizes you. It needs your magic to grow powerful. Once it discovers your presence, it won’t stop until it reaches you.” His voice softened, “It mustn’t reach you. I am the only one, other than your companions who will defend you. Know this; if it takes hold of you, my warriors have orders to kill you before it consumes your power. An illumination spell might hinder its defenses. Give me a moment to warn my people, and then cast it over us and into the cavern. It is immense, much larger than the cavern that held the creature prisoner. The spell must be powerful.” Cabal placed his hand on her shoulder and added, “Do not fail; it would wound me deeply to take your life. Especially when our world so desperately needs people of magic.”
She nodded, feeling him turn and move off toward Nicole. Jack followed. If Nicole was going to charge the creature, he was going to be at her side. Sarah took a deep breath and thought of Todd. She was certain it was too late to save him. She had lost him forever. Bringing her anger to bear, she allowed it to rise. The fury allowed her to concentrate on the death of her only love’s murderer. The elves turned their eyes to the floor as Sarah cast her light spell into the cavern. Their eyes adjusted quickly and they rushed forward. Sarah screamed at the excruciating pain of claws digging into her shoulders.
Her scream brought Jack and Prince Cabal to a halt. They spun to find a large group of brown, hairy trolls racing toward them. Jack met the onslaught swinging his sword wildly, severing limbs and clawed hands as he fought to reach Sarah. Cabal dove under the attack, scrambling through the mass of long hairy legs. He pulled the trolls down as Jack hacked at them from above.
Bats swarmed out of the darkness as Nicole appeared at Jack’s side. The trolls retreated with Sarah, dragging her off toward the black void of the tunnels. Screeching, the diseased creatures released her to swat at the bats. Sarah called her magic to set the nearest troll on fire. Her need for revenge controlling her choice of spells. The stench of burned hair filled the cave as the troll ran off into the darkness, screaming in pain. It fell a short distance away as the flames flared up and consumed it.
Prince Cabal reached her as she turned to face a second troll. “No!” he shouted, thrusting his sword into the stomach of one of her attackers, “Save your strength!”
She flattened herself against the wall as he dove into the remaining three trolls. She watched in awe as he fought. Never before had she seen anyone battle with such powerful ease. He sliced through the trolls as if they were paper dolls. Still, she was unwilling to stand by idly like a helpless female in a cheap romance novel. She cast an illusion of large brown cave spiders crawling on the trolls. Jack and Nicole jerked as spiders appeared from the ceiling by the thousands, attacking everything in sight.
“They’re not real,” Nicole yelled to Jack feeling the tingle of Sarah magic flow through her.
Cabal ignored the spiders striking out at the last of the trolls until they turned to flee. Cabal grabbed Sarah’s arm and pulled her over the troll bodies that littered the cavern floor.
“Hurry, before the creature grows stronger!” Cabal ordered, rushing past the two adventurers.
The battle was fierce and bloody. The creature transformed into a giant spider that echoed those Sarah created against the trolls. Its legs were tipped with long wicked claws. Half a dozen warriors lay dead at the creature’s feet, sliced into pieces by its razor sharp talons. Cabal shoved Sarah to one side and joined the battle. He shouted to her as he ran forward, “Do your worst before more die!”
The creature transformed into a giant blackish purple bear with enlarged claws and an elongated snout. Its sleek dark surface gave the bear-creature an unearthly appearance. Jack rushed forward to attack the creature’s head as its jaws sank into the legs of the warrior that he bumped into in the tunnel. Nicole rushed to his aid. Only three warriors and the Prince remained to battle the creature alongside Jack and Nicole. Sarah called a spell of fire and threw a giant ball of flames at the creature. It staggered backward, but was otherwise unaffected.
Repeatedly she threw the flames at the creature to no avail. She called a spell of ice and hurled it into the monster. It screamed in pain as frozen crystals formed on its skin, but it did not hesitate in its fight to destroy the warrior’s swarming around it. Slowly it began to push the warriors back and approach her. Rising to stand upright, it changed into a four-armed creature with claws of steel. Realizing they could not keep the creature from reaching Sarah, Nicole pulled the emerald talisman from her vest and thrust it into the air above her. Recalling the incantation that Sarah had given her, she called its burst of light forward and directed it toward the creature. The light touched its sleek coat. The creature turned and started for Nicole with a quickness that caught her by surprise. She snatched the gem from the air and sprint back toward the tunnel, barely able to stay ahead of her pursuer.
“Water!” Sarah screamed, suddenly realizing why the ice had injured the creature. “Nicole, get to the river!”
Nicole ran down the tunnel, stumbling over the remains of the trolls. Using her woodland sense, she sought for any trace of moisture. The sounds of the warriors and her friends came from behind as they raced to help her. Although she could not hear the creature’s pursuit, she knew it was not far behind. She ran blindly toward any hint of water that came. Nicole desperately reached out to the creatures of the cave. She beckoned them to her, and then dashed into a tunnel on her right. Insects and bats answered her call swarming at the face of the creature, trying to slow its pace. A fork in the tunnel came leading her into a small cavern that narrowed into a low tunnel. She found herself on her knees scurrying forward. Keep moving! She heard Sarah’s voice whisper from somewhere inside her head, and a barrier of ice appeared behind her sealing the tunnel. Smiling to herself, Nicole complemented the sorceress on her telepathic discovery.
Sarah stumbled, trying to keep pace with the others. She concentrated on slowing the creatures’ pursuit of Nicole. If she could not slow the creature, it would reach Nicole in a matter of seconds.
Nicole crawled into a small chamber and scrambled to her feet. She raced across to the far side and stopped, stunned. There was no tunnel, no river, only a dead end. Could her senses have led her astray? No, she could smell the water, nearly taste it. It was so close. She moved to the far wall as the creature emerged from the narrow tunnel. It took the shape of giant coiled snake. Nicole turned to face it. She drew her short sword and stuffed the talisman ins
ide her vest.
“It’s a dead end!” she shouted over the creature. Not waiting for a reply, she attacked the creature as it neared. It leaped into the air, its shape taking on that of an oversized wolf as it reached her. Using her sword to keep it at bay, Nicole shot over the creature; she pushed off the cave wall and rolled in the air. She landed behind it as the others entered the chamber.
“Sarah! There’s water on the other side of the far wall!” Nicole yelled as the creature charged, scattering them all. Cabal pulled Sarah across the chamber as Jack and the three warriors fought to keep the creature from reaching Nicole.
“It wants the power of the talisman,” Sarah warned.
“Destroy the wall,” Cabal ordered.
“There’s a river on the other side! We’ll drown,” she gasped to Cabal.
“A small price to pay for saving our world.” His words were gallant. His eyes met hers. They sparkled with excitement. With a nod, he motioned toward the wall.
Sarah concentrated on the wall as her thoughts went to Hopper, perhaps they would die together in this dark place after all.
“When it starts to break,” Cabal added, “dive for the rocks.” He motioned toward a set of large boulders to their right. She began to chant. The magic flowed into her. The creature ceased its mission to reach Nicole. It turned toward the sorceress as a soft green aura formed around her. Cabal placed himself between Sarah and the creature sensing its attack. The creature sprang.
Suddenly the cavern wall imploded in a shower of rocks and water. The force of the explosion sucked the wall into the cold black void, pulling the creature in with it. Cabal and Sarah were sent reeling into the void behind the creature.
The roar of a waterfall met their ears. They crashed into a wall of the icy water at the bottom of the falls. The creature screamed in agony, flailing against the turbulent waters of the falls that forced it down and rolled it repeatedly.
Cabal shoved Sarah away from the power of the current, pushing himself deeper into the turmoil. Sarah’s lungs burned for air. Her head reached the surface, and she gasped for air. The pull of the current fought against her as struggled to reach the shore. Dragging herself out of the water, she saw a pale yellow moon crested over the tall trees. She realized they were in the small stone encased pond where Jack nearly drowned. Sarah glanced back toward the water for any sign of survivors. When Cabal failed to surface, she dove back in to search for him. The creature broke free of the current and slowly floated to the surface. Sarah issued a light spell and saw Cabal floating deep beneath the surface of the water. She swam to reach him, ignoring the dying creature.
She took hold of Cabal’s shoulder and swam for the surface. Jack appeared in the water before her. He grabbed the Prince and pushed Sarah gently toward the stone edge of the pond. Nicole surfaced in the water behind them, as did the three remaining warriors. Each struggled against the fierce current and swam to shore. Smiling, Nicole glanced at the still form of the dark wolf. It had managed to pull the bulk of its body from the icy water, lying on top of the pale rocks that lined the shore.
Prince Cabal coughed as he purged his lungs of water. Rising, he took the torn piece of Sarah’s robe she offered and held it to the wound on his brow. Moving slowly to where Nicole stood, he stared at the silent creature. Jack came up beside them with Sarah under his arm.
“Is it dead?” he asked, kneeling beside it.
“No,” Nicole answered, “Be careful.” She moved to pull him back, and the creature lunged.
Transforming back into the liquid creature that engulfed Hopper, it covered Nicole smothering her in darkness. She could hear Jack’s screams as he fought to tear the creature away from her. Her head began to swim. Icy fingers move inside of her vest. Dark colors merged and separated before her eyes as it absorbed her strength. Suddenly the colors flashed with a brilliant emerald light, and the creature spat her out as if she were the pit of a succulent fruit. She flew over her rescuer’s heads and landed in the center of the frothy waters of the pond. Jack dove in after her.
Sarah staggered backward as the creature took its final form. Prince Cabal attacked, without waiting to see what it would become. His three warriors rushed to his side, striking at the creature with renewed strength. It continued to grow, changing from the blackish purple tar-like liquid into a cat-like creature. Balls of fire slammed into the creature, knocking it back against the rocks at the edge of the pond.
“Push it toward the water!” Sarah yelled over the Warriors battle cries.
The icy water had weakened it. Perhaps if they kept it in the pond long enough, it would become weak enough to destroy. Sarah threw her spell of ice at it. The creature screamed and charged toward her. Prince Cabal and the Warriors were ready. They drove it back to the water’s edge with their swords. Jack pulled Nicole from the pond and joined in the battle, after ordering her to stay out of it.
The stars twinkled above them as the moon moved across the horizon. The fight continued until the first signs of light glowed in the east. They had pushed the creature into the water repeatedly, only to have it shoot from the pond onto the rock bank despite their efforts. Sarah cast an enchantment on their swords chilling them to a freezing temperature to injure the creature. Its sleek dark surface was oozing with a thick black substance from the many wounds the warriors had managed to inflict. Yet it still strove to absorb Sarah’s magic. Pushing for the shadows, the black tar cat screeched in frustration as Prince Cabal dove between it and Sarah once more.
Nicole staggered back from the battle, still not fully recovered from the creature’s attack. The sun touched her face, warming her, reviving her. She sighed and turned slowly, facing the golden orb. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at the creature, determined to rejoin the battle. As her thoughts turned to destroying the creature, her chest began to burn. Clutching at her breast, she gasped as the pain grew stronger. Tearing at the front of her vest, she pulled the glowing talisman out, dropping it as its heat seared her fingers.
It fell into the shadows and rolled off into the grass beside the rocks. She had mistakenly thought the creature had taken the talisman. That explosion of light must have injured the creature, instead of giving it power. Springing from the boulder, she knelt down beside the gem. The glow had vanished. Lifting the talisman, she was surprised to find it had turned cold.
Climbing up onto the pile of boulders Hopper had created to block part of the falls. Nicole raised the crystal into the sun above her. A burst of light exploded from the crystal throwing Nicole off the boulder and into the dirt behind her. Scrambling to her feet and climbing back onto the boulder, she raised the crystal over her head and willed the beam to strike the creature. A bolt of emerald magic pounded into the creature, knocking it off its feet but otherwise not affecting it.
Nicole screamed for Sarah. She jumped from the boulders and raced to the sorceress as Sarah threw another ice spell at the creature. “Sarah, take this to the boulders. Stand directly in the sunlight, and use it!” Nicole ordered.
Sarah didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the jewel and sprinted across the grass to the boulders. The creature seized one of the warriors in its jaws. Jack sprang forward and shoved his sword into the giant cat’s throat. One swipe of its paws and Jack was swatted away like an annoying fly. Cabal leaped on the back of the creature and plunged his icy sword repeatedly into the monster’s back.
The creature crushed the warrior in its jaws and tossed his lifeless form aside. Rolling on its back, it quickly overwhelmed Cabal. Its long claws sunk into Cabal’s arm and pulled him to toward its razor sharp teeth. Cabal screamed in pain. He braced his feet against the tar-creature’s chest and stabbed at it.
Jack sprang toward the creature’s head. Placing his sword at its throat, he tried to sever its head. Once again, he was thrown clear. Nicole dove at the creature, calling on the forest creatures. Birds swarmed from the trees attacking the creature. It ignored them.
Sarah screamed from h
er perch above the falls, and they fell back. Raising the crystal high, she prayed for Cabal’s safety and chanted the spell of dissolution. Picturing in her mind a force field of protection surrounding Cabal, she sent a white bolt of energy into the creature. It screamed, springing away from the light. Sarah followed the creature and attacked it with the light, not daring to look at what was left of Cabal.
The two remaining warriors followed Jack and Nicole as they attacked the creatures driving it toward the pond. Another burst of light struck it, and it fell into the freezing water. Sarah concentrated on the creature using all her power to send a continuous stream of the white-hot energy into the pond where the creature struggled. Again and again, she pounded the creature with the force of the crystal until it sank beneath the surface of the water.
Sarah fell to her knees, exhausted. She could hear cheers of her fellow warriors. Her thoughts turned to Todd. When the cheering came to a dramatic halt, she looked below to find the others gathered around the still form of Prince Cabal. Sarah quickly climbed down the rocks to examine him. She felt numb as she neared the edge of the pond. Nicole knelt beside him and placed her head on his chest as Jack pulled the charred clothing from his legs. His face was pale. Streams of blood that covered his face.
“Is he dead?” Sarah asked, not wanting to hear the answer.
“No,” Nicole replied. “But he could use the skills of a good nurse practitioner.”
“His men will have to care for him,” Sarah said, “I’m going back for Hopper.”
Jack grabbed her arms. He stared into her eyes and said softly, “He’s out of our reach, Sarah. If he survives, he will find us. You have to trust him and wait.”