The Curse of the Ebon Maw Chapter Three by A.S. Raithe

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They hurried as quietly as possible through the underbrush, but Mira’s armor made that nearly impossible. Regardless, they had to find it. A wounded wolf was dangerous enough. One already willing to attack humans was a thousand times worse.

Stillness pressed in around them. Mira’s pulse quickened as the last possibility of flying vanished as the canopy became a tangle of branches. Her nose burned. The smell, that awful canine stench was unbearable. They were close.

A hard jerk at her belt brought Mira to a halt.

“There,” Echo hissed, gesturing ahead.

Squinting hard, Mira could just make out the outline of a cave entrance, and a trail of blood leading inside.

“How many did he say we were up against?” whispered Mira.

“At least nine,” Echo responded.

“But probably more,” Norm added.

“We killed three,” Mira thought aloud, “and one got away.” She shook her head. “There could be at least a half dozen wolves in there.” She turned to look the two spellcasters over. “Don’t suppose either of you could just blast it and call it a day?”

Norm shook his head.

“No but,” Echo’s lip screwed up, “I should be able to get a look inside.”

“What!?” Mira gasped, barely managing to keep her voice down. “My lady, I will not let you go into a literal den of wolves!”

“Mira.” Echo calmly placed a hand on the knight’s sword hand. “I won’t be going in.”

“Then how?”

Smiling, the young noble sat on the bare earth. Crossing her legs, she began to encant a spell. “Orbish,” she eventually called sweetly. “Mummy needs you.”

The air grew chill. Steam puffed from their breath. Mira opened her mouth to ask what was going on only for a pale blue-white light to appear at her feet.

“There you are,” Echo purred. Reaching out she stroked it as if it were a pet. “This is Orbish, my familiar spirit,” she introduced it. “Say hello sweetie.”

A sound Mira couldn’t begin to describe came from the orb. It wasn’t quite a meow, nor was it a squeak. Perhaps a dove’s coo or… the only thing she could say was it sounded delighted.

“Now Orbish, dear,” Echo continued. “Mummy needs help.” The ball rose as a wisp of fog on a spring morning to orbit her head. “We’ve a job. This forest has a wolf problem, and we’ve tracked one to that cave over there. Could you be a dear and let me see inside?”

Orbish made the same strange coo-squeak-mewing sound before falling back to the ground as a ball of light.

“What’s going on?” Mira muttered to Norm.

“No clue,” he admitted. “Wizard stuff.”

“He’s choosing a form,” Echo explained. “A familiar is just a spirit. No true shape. Every time I summon him he takes a new form. One suited to the job I need him for.”

“So why doesn’t he just turn into a dragon and blast the place?” said Norm.

“It’s limited to natural animals, regretfully. Cats, birds, snakes, nothing with strange powers or abilities. My master’s preferred to take the form of a spider monkey. Made it easier to move about the library. Under normal circumstances, Orbish prefers the shape of a border collie,” said Echo.

The ball collapsed in on itself tighter and tighter. In a matter of seconds it was only a few inches across, and then a high, sharp squeak called up to them. The light dissipated and a little brown field mouse stood where Orbish had been.

“Good boy, Orbs,” Echo praised him. “They’ll never notice you like that.”

A delighted squeak rose from the familiar before he scurried off towards the den.

“Now what?” said Mira.

“Now,” Echo sighed, “comes the fun part.”

She pinched her thumbs to their forefingers and placed her hands in her lap. Touching the tips of her middle fingers together she let out a long, slow breath. The young noble’s nose began to twitch. Her head jerked this way and that, clearly not of her own accord.

Mira gasped as her charge’s eyes seemed to collapse in on themselves as if reverse dilating. Rather than the pupils expanding, they contracted in on themselves, drawing her irises in with them until all that was left was white.

“Oh it stinks in here,” Echo muttered, her voice hollow and distant.

“Huh? What?” Mira sputtered.

“I think she’s channeling what her familiar sees, or,” he shrugged, “smelling, I guess.”

“It’s dark,” Echo continued. “Mouse eyes aren’t very good for depth perception. There’re six… maybe seven and— Oh no. No-no-no. The injured one, he’s roused the alpha. Oh bugger. I didn’t think they got this bloody big.” She groaned. “Alright Orbish, that’s enough. Come back.”

Color erupted back into Echo’s eyes with such violence Mira was shocked it remained contained to her sockets. The brightly plumed zephyra shook her head, pressing her palms to her face and muttering pained obscenities to herself. In short order, the spirit masquerading as a field mouse ran up her dress to perch on her shoulder as the others helped her to her feet.

“So there’s six or seven in there?” Mira asked once Echo had regained her bearings.

Echo shook her head. “Eight or nine including the alpha and injured one.”

“Well,” Norm began thoughtfully. “That’s about how many Narsis said there’d be.”

“What say you, dame knight?” said Echo. “Can we take them?”

Mira placed her fist ponderously to her lips. “Three on one odds in a tight space,” she thought aloud. “The alpha’s a beast and one’s hurt.” She shook her head, turning to Echo with a grave look on her face. “We walk in there and we’ll be having dinner with Myria.”

“Agreed.” Echo sighed.

“Well,” Norm grunted. “We all agree that going in there is a death sentence, so why don’t we make them come to us.”

The duchess cocked her head at him. “What would you suggest, Master Norm?”

He raised his hand, muttering some horrible word that felt like broken glass on Mira’s senses. There was a whoosh followed by green flames springing to life in his hand.

“Plenty of wet leaves around here.” He smirked evilly. “Not good for starting a fire, but they make a helluva lot of smoke.”

A wicked smile crossed Echo’s features. “You’re smarter than you look.”

In little time, they’d massed a sizeable bundle of leaves at the entrance to the cave. A quick flick of Echo’s wrist sent a concentrated bolt of fire into its center.

Smoke quickly built in the pile. Though unable to fly, the two zephyrni put their wings to use. Deliberate flaps fanned the choking fumes into the cave. The knight and casters stood poised for the moment the beasts fled. It didn’t take long.

Panicked yips called from the den. The first out didn’t have the chance to see them. An intensely green beam tore from the warlock. Catching the first one flush, its lifeless body tumbled through the clearing under its momentum.

Two more were behind it, but Norm had ensured the rest would not be taken off guard. They split up the moment they cleared the entrance.

Echo acted quickly, speaking more arcane words, her hands danced through the air. The signs and symbols her fingers created made Mira’s ache with sympathy, but the effect was immediate as paired beams of light streaked after them. No matter how the canines moved, her spell adjusted in inescapable pursuit.

Bright flashes announced the lupines’ end.

Not to be outdone, Mira charged the entrance. With three fallen, the rest would be soon behind. She was all that stood between their fangs and her squishy, unarmored colleagues.

A reckless flurry of slashes claimed two more, but Mira could only engage so many at a time. As she moved for a third, she caught sight of the wounded one, but the distraction cost her.

Something huge burst from the entrance.

Colliding full force with her, Mira was sent flying. She coughed, gasping for air as she forced herself back to her feet. Her head snapped back to the den in search of the monstrous alpha and her feathers bristled.

Hundreds of pounds of snarling, black death made its weight known. Nearly as big as a horse, the alpha was no wolf. But that was the furthest concern for the knight. She’d lost its attention to a sudden bolt of fire. A spell originating from the petite duchess.

The flames burst across the alpha’s chest, marrying the stench of burnt fur to that of the smoking leaves assailing their nostrils. But the spell did little to slow it.

Time slowed for Mira as the alpha’s fangs pierced Echo’s thigh. Norm wheeled, his blasphemy powered spells charging, but as he raised his hand to release a blast, another wolf latched onto his arm. His cry of pain joined Echo’s as both beasts began to shake.

The wounded one leapt for the zephyra noble. By some small miracle, the woman winced away, narrowly keeping it from her throat.

No thought was in Mira’s head as her wings lifted her from the ground. Tangled thorns and brush ripped at her exposed face. Hair and feathers were torn from her, but the knight didn’t care. She collided with the alpha sword first, burying her blade in the monster’s side.

A scorching flash of firelight screamed around Norm. Brilliant orange flames ripped down his arm to consume the attached wolf in retribution. Its howl of pain lasted for only the briefest moment before its charred body fell.

Gasping whimpers called from Echo as she fell to a knee. “Cover your ears!” she managed to bark out.

With no further warning, she spoke once again in that magical language and clicked her fingers. But the sound that came was no snap. Mira’s bones rattled as if she was caught at the top of a bell tower at noon as a wall of sound tore through the clearing.

Trees bent. Boughs snapped. Brush was blown away. The last of the wolves’ faces twisted in agony as their eardrums burst, but the pain was fleeting. In the next second, the sonic blast tore their insides apart.

“Why didn’t you do that in the first place!?” Norm roared.

But Echo couldn’t reply. Her face was etched with pain. Blood poured from her torn leg. Gritting her teeth, she tore her dress and pressed it to the open wound.

Mira shook with rage at the sight of her injured companions. The crimson spreading through Echo’s improvised bandage flooded her vision.

“My lady,” she stammered.

Undiluted fury flooded Mira’s mind as she turned to the alpha righting itself. With no regard for her own wellbeing, she threw herself at it. Reckless abandon fueled by the frenzy of the berserkergang consumed her. There was no thought to her wild, vicious slashes. Nothing was held back to parry or dodge. Even if the alpha caught her by the throat, she would take it with her.

The next thing Mira knew, she stood over a mutilated mass of fur and flesh. The alpha’s rouge painted the world around her. Her throat rose and fell as her senses returned to her.

“Echo,” she gasped.

Precision drills took over. There was a loud metallic clink as her heels snapped together to about face. All the worst possibilities filled her mind in that millisecond. Her heart froze until her mind could process what she saw. Only then did she loose a sigh of relief.

Norm stooped over Echo. The two had staunched the flow of blood. Her lovely dress was ruined, but she was alright.

He retrieved a vial from his belt. Mira recognized the syrupy green alchemic concoction. She’d drank more than her fair share of healing potions in training.

“My lady,” Mira breathed. “You’re okay?”

Echo nodded. “You?”

The warlock tossed Mira a potion. “I’m good, too. Don’t rush to check on me.”

“Sorry,” Mira apologized sheepishly. “Where’d you get these from?”

“Grabbed them back at Narsis’.” He took a swig from another vial. “Figured we might need them.”

“Was that all of them?” said Echo, as Norm helped her to her feet.

“I think so,” he said.

“For the moment,” Mira said darkly before her face screwed up at the tart tang of the cherry flavored potion.

Echo’s feather’s bristled. “Dame knight?”

The knight raised a shaky hand and pointed to the carnage that was the alpha. “That,” she began, “wasn’t a wolf.” The two looked perplexedly to her. “It was a warg!”

“Warg?” Echo gasped.

“And where there’s wargs,” Mira continued, “goblins can’t be far.”

An exasperated growl filled Norm’s throat. He turned on the spot and started marching for the forest’s edge.

“Master Norm!” Echo shouted after him. “Where are you going?”

“Back to Cawold!” he called back. “I think we need to renegotiate.”

 

Continue to Chapter Four.

About the Author

A. S. Raithe is a fantasy author living near Pittsburgh with his wife and children. Always the creative type, it wasn’t until high school and being introduced to a local bestselling author that he found his passion for writing. He took time away from writing to attend college before being convinced by his wife to pick it up again shortly after their wedding. Outside of writing he enjoys exercise, baking, gardening, folklore, music, and hiking.