Chapter 49 - Surrounded

Groyven shielded his eyes, dust and debris flying in the air, his fireball clipping the edge of a ruined building, spraying rock, rotten wood and embers down among the wolves as they scattered into the street. He looked about, the way to the waterwheel was momentarily clear. He still could not believe what he had witnessed but a bare few moments before.

“Ven, was that the one from the river?” he heard Tiffaniel ask, her hand on his back.

He shook his head, “No, this one was bigger, its patterns were different too.”

“Ven, it saved us.”

He turned, looking at Tiffaniel, “I am not sure, Tiff. I don’t think that big wolf with the strange eyes was going to kill us. Something happened.”

Groyven looked out, frowning before stepping out from the alley, “There are less wolves, the normal ones, they are scattering. Quick, Tiff.”

He led his sister out, skirting along a crumbling wall in the darkness as wolves randomly passed by them in confusion, their leadership broken. Coming to a stop behind a tree they watched the passing wolves, the full moon lighting the overgrown street. He felt a tug at his side, immediately feeling a chill building behind him. Groyven turned, suddenly aware as Tiffaniel stepped clear of the shadows, white mist forming around her as she stared down the overgrown road behind them. Groyven stepped out beside her, his eyes flickering back to life, flames smouldering, his eyes resting on a group of black wolves that approached.

“Ven, they saw us, there are more.” she quickly looked around, spotting more red eyes advancing in the shadows, “Just how many are there?”

Groyven’s eyes were narrowed to slits as he met Tiffaniel’s worried glance. He nodded and slid the chain up, taking the amulet in his fist. Without a second thought he called to Hendosphyre with his mind and voice, “Hendosphyre, we need you!”

A sharp glow immediately glared from the amulet, sending out thin shafts of light from the cracks between his fingers. Blue mist rapidly swirled and built up in the area while Groyven pulled at the back of Tiffaniel’s robes, prompting her to run. Sharp yelps and barking came from the shadows as the blue mist quickly grew into a ghostly apparition. In its centre a blinding spark of light formed, scattering nearby wolves in the roadway. While they ran, something caught Groyven’s eye, a flash of white standing nearby the waterwheel, two lifeless black bodies laying on the overgrown cobbles.

He guided their run away from the waterwheel and headed for the river, pushing their way through the long grass stumbling and struggling, stepping on hidden rocks and unstable ground. A loud shriek could be heard from behind them, Hendosphyre was now in the midst of the diseased wolves, slashing at them with abandon, towering over them as he buffeted their rangy forms with heavy blustery wind.

Groyven glanced back, a sharp grin on his face, the sudden arrival of the gryphon scattering even the black wolves. Finally, they both stumbled out onto the bank of the river upstream of the water wheel. Even more black wolves were gathering on the roadway beyond the thick grass and low thicket. They seemed to be backing away from the large gryphon, Hendosphyre charging them, smashing his way through the milling bodies. He looked to the left, the white and grey wild mountain cat was cutting its way though the wolves from behind, large claws tearing and slicing a path to join up with the gryphon. For only a split moment he thought it strangely curious.

“Ven, the grass! Burn it! They are in it, the wolves are in it!” yelled Tiffaniel, backing her way down to the water, her eyes wide with fear.

Immediately, his eyes flared, he gestured with a sweeping motion setting a swath of grass and thicket alight, giving it fiery life and willing its spread. Half blinded by the flare of the flames, he did not notice the silent form loping through the shadows along the river. Cutting out from behind the dilapidated water wheel, coming from the left with its black fur bristling. Breaking from the cover of some reeds it came from the side. Leaping through the lowest tract of the fire, it attacked.

Both Groyven and Tiffaniel were knocked to the ground, sprawling. Tiffaniel rolled to the side and quickly got to her feet. She turned to see Groyven fending off the snapping jaws of a black wolf, his hands and arms alight with fire. Her hood thrown back, black hair flying, the mist started to form. There was too much frenzied movement to use a lethal attack.

Spreading a hand as small icicles formed in the air around her, she screamed, “Icel-gavail!” gesturing at the lone wolf.

A sudden freezing wind blew from behind her, twisting and spiralling around her as she released the sharp ice, directing it to pelt into the wolf and wetting Groyven as he shielded himself with his fire. The wolf snapped and grudgingly gave ground, assaulted with sleet and hail, turning its head aside trying to shield its face and eyes. Groyven scrambled to his feet noticing that his sister’s attack was almost at an end. Stretching his hand out, eyes narrowing, he took one look at the beast and snapped his fingers. A dull cracking boom and a wash of hot blustery air pushed them backward a few steps, the wolf exploding in a ball of fire that lit up the dark.

Both Tiffaniel and Groyven ran along the bank of the river, trying to put distance between themselves and the battle that raged between the wolves, wild cat and Hendosphyre. They stumbled to a stop, exhausted while the moonlight shone down on them, the water of the river lapped at their shoes. Panting, they stood catching their breath, listening carefully over their ragged breathing. Groyven readied his hands.

“Where’s Hendosfyre?” asked Tiffaniel, breathlessly.

Groyven gestured back from where they came, “Back there, he’ll just have to find us.”

Tiffaniel nodded, “Ven, I don’t know how much further I can run.”

He glanced around them, the shore extended quite a way before meeting the treeline, the dark water of the river rushing past as a band of clouds crossed the moon. For just a moment there was silence in the darkness. Just as quickly as it came it was gone, the light of the moon brightening the shoreline once more, revealing dark lupine forms slinking towards them.

Tiffaniel turned, fear in her eyes, her hand clawing at his arm, “Ven, here too.”

He winced, “Then we are trapped.” he glanced at the river, the sound of a loud shriek beyond the treeline, “You mentioned; was it flash freezing the river? Could you freeze a path?”

She looked at the dark water, on the edge of panic, “Ven, I.”

Groyven watched the wolves, glancing from one side to the other, seeing the red eyes glowing menacingly in the darkness, “Tiff?!” he said, feeling the water sloshing around his ankles.

Not hearing a response, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Slipping a hand into Sialin’s pouch, he counted out the remaining ampules. Less than a score remained of the three given to him. Tears formed in his eyes, traces of blue ethereal flame licking off them. The sound of snarls reached him as the black wolves approached. Eyes still closed, he reached up and gripped Hendosphyre’s amulet, its edges biting into his hand.

He whispered under his breath, like a prayer, “Hendosphyre, great one, if you can hear me, I need you, please. We are surrounded.”

He stilled his breath, trying his best to calm himself, his eyes still closed, blue flames trickling down his face. Tucking the amulet back into his top, he withdrew two ampules, drinking one, the flames warming his throat. The scent of Sialin’s rosewater in his nostrils. He could feel her mark behind his ear burn. Taking a deep breath it started, the rush of flame, his strength being restored, surging. Reaching its peak, he opened his eyes. Rich, sapphire blue glared from them, wreathed in orange and blue flames. Narrowing them, he gestured in a circular motion, spreading his fingers and then clenched his fist. Fire ignited around them in a wide arc, a wall of flame twice his height formed in a wide semi-circle around them. Creating a protective wall of flame.

“Think of something sister! It won’t burn for long, it only has sand to feed it!” he said.

He watched the wolves standing, pacing back and forth beyond the flames’ heat, their red eyes reflecting the orange flickers as his creation chewed hungrily through his power.

Tiffaniel looked at the dark water of the river, panic chewing at her thoughts, doubt dragging her under, trying to drown her. Swimming the river would be impossible.

“We are running out of time, sister!” Groyven screamed, fiery power bleeding from him.

From behind her, she heard the snap of his fingers and the now satisfying roll of thunder, the screams of wolves in pain as he released a fireball. Suddenly there was the sound of the whistle of wings and the screeching of Hendosphyre as their great protector attacked the wolves with reckless abandon beyond the wall of flame. Again, another snap and explosion. She saw the reflection of the moon in the water, the flash of fire, the sound of another of her brother’s treasured ampules hitting the pebbles on the shore and shattering. She knew what she must do.

Shadow of the Eclipse: Chapter Timeline

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