CHAPTER 24
Clinging to Shalimar’s hilt, Riley felt her feet touch solid ground. Opening her eyes, she could see that she was in a huge cave with a sandy floor. Bright sunlight flooded in through an opening in the ceiling. A feeling of déjà vu came over her as she realized that she had been here before. She was in the cave she where she had first seen Baltrac, the one she had found right after she had escaped from the cylindrical room where Paisley had imprisoned her. She heard the ocean pounding in the distance and sniffed the salty tang in the air. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness of the room, she saw that she was alone except for a bundle of old rags in the corner. The bundle groaned startling her. She stood still for a moment then started to move towards it, Max by her side. As she got closer, she saw a figure amidst the old rags. She rushed forward, her heart pounding in her chest, praying that she was not too late. Cole lay flat on his back on the floor, almost buried under a pile of old blankets, eyes closed, face soaked with sweat. She put a hand on his forehand and could feel him burning up. At her touch he moved a little and groaned again.
She turned towards Max. “We cannot wait for the others. Cole, can you hear me? Everything is going to be okay. We are taking you out of here.”
“He’s not going anywhere and neither are you.” The voice purred with satisfaction.
Riley jumped and looked up, straight into Mylor’s bi-colored eyes. He was standing in the middle of the cave flanked by Sultan and Shalimar. Riley put out her hand to restrain the growling Max who looked ready to rip Mylor’s too pleased expression off his face.
“What have you done to him? He’s sick. He needs medical attention.” She glared at Mylor, too worried about Cole to feel any fear.
“He is under a fever spell. It is not lethal. Fever weakens his powers. It is the only way I can hold him against his will. His skills in Dark magic are exceptional. His extreme power and intelligence make him a dangerous enemy. I cannot allow him to live.”
Riley sank to her knees. She had to keep Mylor talking till reinforcements arrived. He appeared to be in an expansive mood.
“Shalimar told me that you would release Cole in exchange for me. I expect you to keep your side of the bargain. Let Max take him back to the Higher Echelon.” Riley managed to keep her voice steady, not wanting to betray the hatred coursing through her.
Mylor threw back his head and laughed. “Is it possible that you are really so stupid? Like father, like daughter. He was foolish enough to trust me too. Cole stays here and so do you.”
Riley’s eyes blazed with fury. “How dare you mention my father? He was a man of honor, you are not.”
Mylor shrugged. “What is honor compared to power? The quest for power has been my life’s goal.” He rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining with anticipation. “And soon, it will all be mine. I will be the ruler of Avalyss.”
“You have already killed for that goal. So what are two more lives? I assume that you plan on killing me as well?”
“Ah! So there is a spark of intelligence in you somewhere.” He paused, studied her for a moment. “If you knew that, why are you here alone? Not plotting something, are you?” He laughed again, a short joyless bark. “Plot all you want, but as you can see,” he gestured at Sultan and Shalimar, “both crystal swords are mine. I am invincible.”
Sultan, the sunlight accentuating his sharp black blade, glided towards Riley. “Shall I put her under a fever spell, too?”
Mylor looked at her appraisingly. A dismissive look appeared in his bi-colored eyes. “It is not necessary. I have seen no sign of great power or magic in her nor have I sensed any.”
“It is unwise to underestimate her. After all, the Oracle did decree that she was the champion of the Light Bringers.” Sultan said.
Mylor smirked. “Ah! Yes. The famous Oracle. That is an amusing and interesting tale. Remind me to tell it to you sometime.”
Riley frowned, wondering what was so amusing about the Oracle. But Mylor continued, “It is all coming together. Everything I have worked for all these years. Here I stand before you, owner of both crystal swords, poised to gain control of Avalyss while you and Cole are both at my mercy.”
Cole groaned again. Riley turned to him, brushed his damp hair away from his forehead, and murmured gently, trying to soothe him. Was it her imagination or did his skin feel cooler? Mylor watched her ministrations, an amused glint in his eyes. “I should probably kill you both right now. Put Cole out of his misery. But I promised Crane I would leave that pleasure to him.”
Riley stiffened. “Where is Crane? You would be wise to not place too much trust in that miserable toad. He will do anything to get his hands on the kind of power that you are so sure that you possess.”
Mylor’s lips curled in a mocking smile and he winked at Riley. “Crane and I are very much alike so are Cole and I. Perhaps more alike that you know.”
Riley sensed that he had some secret knowledge which he wanted to keep and share at the same time. “Obviously, there is something that you are dying to let out. Go ahead. Cole can’t hear you. And even if he could, we will both be dead soon. Who can we tell?”
Mylor gave her a calculating look. He was about to speak when Crane teleported into the cave, a big grin on his face. The grin grew wider as he spotted Riley.
He walked towards her, a malevolent gleam in his blue eyes. “I knew that you would be foolish enough to fall into our trap. I am going to enjoy killing both you and my brother. But I plan on having some fun first.” He leant close to her, ran a cold finger along her cheek, the look on his face simultaneously hungry and cruel. Her entire body recoiled from his touch. She saw a flash of anger flood his eyes before he spun on his heel and faced Mylor. “I have good news. I have just come from the Palace. The Queen and the Higher Echelon have been imprisoned.”
At Riley’s gasp, he whirled towards her, white robe swirling around his body. “Surprised? There was a traitor in your midst and you were too stupid to realize it. Get ready for a long night of fun, my sweet, there will be no rescue party.” His face shone with an unholy light.
“Who?” Riley could barely force the word through her lips.
“Why, that would be me.” Paisley’s voice oozed with venom as she suddenly appeared next to Crane, a saccharine smile plastered to her face.
Riley’s hand tightened on Max’s neck to stop him from attacking Paisley. Baring his teeth, emitting bloodcurdling growls, green eyes aflame with fury, he was a fearsome sight.
Paisley took a quick step back. “You should have listened to that miserable cur after all. He was right about me. I have been an important member of the faction for many years. I was Mylor’s “eyes and ears” within the Dark Mages. I was also assigned to spy on Cole.”
Riley gave her a cold look. “Is Baltrac part of the faction as well?”
“No. I used Baltrac to help me keep tabs on Cole. He thought I was working against Cole to try to put him in power. He was only partly right. I am working against Cole but it is not Baltrac I want in power.” She turned and wrapped her arms around Crane, and pressed body against his. He bent his head and crushed his lips to hers.
Riley felt slightly queasy. Glaring at Crane and Paisley, Mylor cleared his throat and they sprang apart, Crane looked contrite while Paisley smirked.
“Who exactly do you want in power, Paisley? I thought the plan was to establish Mylor as ruler of Avalyss not Crane.” Riley’s tone was mocking.
Paisley scowled at her. “Supporting Crane is the same as supporting Mylor. Crane, of course, will be Mylor’s successor.”
Riley looked at Mylor. “I would be careful if I were you. The vultures are already circling.”
Mylor frowned and a suspicious gleam appeared in his eyes. Shooting a venomous look at Riley, Crane pulled away from Paisley, walked towards Mylor and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t listen to he
r. She is trying to spread dissension among us. We cannot allow her to make us suspicious of each other’s motives.” His voice dripped with sincerity. “You are like a father to me. I pledge my allegiance to you as the new ruler of Avalyss. You have my word that I will never plot to dethrone you.”
Mylor’s shoulders were rigid, he glared at Crane for a moment longer, then a warm smile split his face and he embraced him. Glowering at Riley he spat, “You have a poisonous tongue. Be careful otherwise I will cut it off myself!”
Paisley shot her a triumphant glance. And when Crane stepped away from Mylor, his expression mirrored Paisley’s. The three moved to the farthest corner of the room and conferred in low voices.
Riley mused that the relationship between Mylor and Crane was unusually close. She sensed an odd dynamic between them. She wondered about the story attached to the Oracle that Mylor had alluded to. Sighing, she realized that she had no idea what to do now. Since Sarri and the rest of the Higher Echelon were imprisoned, no surprise attack would be launched. She had been prepared to face Mylor alone. She did not think that she could battle Mylor, Crane and Paisley by herself. She heard Max’s growling protest in her mind. Smiling, she apologized telepathically, assuring him that she had not forgotten his presence. Cole thrashed and moaned. Riley’s worry increased. She did not trust Mylor’s assurance that the fever spell was non-lethal. He could be lying. She felt Cole’s forehead again, and this time she was sure that he felt noticeably cooler. Frowning, she looked at him. His eyes were still closed but his skin had lost some of its pallor.
“He’s fighting it.” Max’s voice in her mind sounded certain.
“Is it true that a fever spell is not lethal?”
“Yes. But the suffering is great. Sometimes a quick death would be more merciful.”
“Is there anything we can do to help him? Can you lift the spell?” Riley asked.
“No. Only the person who cast the fever spell in the first place can remove it. I know of a few instances where a person under the spell managed to break it but it takes great power and strength of will. Cole is a powerful mage, maybe even more powerful than Mylor realizes, I think he can break it. He is trying and his fever seems to be abating.”
“If he breaks it, will he be restored to his full strength right away or will he be weak for a while?” Riley asked, taking care to keep her face expressionless so that Mylor and his cohorts would not guess that she was communicating with Max telepathically. They did not know that she possessed the power of telepathy and she did not want to lose any advantage that she had.
“It depends. In Cole’s case, I believe that he will be weak at first but his strength will return rapidly.”
Riley bent her head to hide her smile of relief. “Great. Then it will be the three of us against the three of them. Max you take care of Paisley, Cole will handle Crane and I will deal with Mylor.”
“What about Sultan?”
“Sultan will not help Mylor if I am the one to fight him. Remember I have Shalimar, and the swords can never do battle against each other. Besides, Sultan has no specific loyalty to Mylor. He will be loyal to the person who promises to make Universal magic the only type of magic in Avalyss.”
“Wonder what they are whispering about?” Max asked, looking at the far end of the cave, where Mylor, Paisley and Crane still huddled.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be good for us.” Riley glanced at Cole and froze as he stared back at her with lucid eyes, an indefinable emotion swimming in those wide pools of amber. He quickly veiled his eyes as Riley’s gaze met his. He opened his mouth to speak but Riley shook her head, touched one finger to her lips and inclined her head towards the group still whispering in the corner. Cole’s face twisted with fury, and his lips firmed into a straight line as her looked at them. Their discussion seemed to be getting more animated. Crane, gesticulating wildly, exclaimed, “No! You promised. Let me finish this!” Then he lowered his voice again, and the discussion continued with an even greater intensity.
Max moved, positioning his body so that he was screening both Cole and Riley from the trio’s view. “We need to act while we have the element of surprise on our side. They cannot know Cole has broken the spell until we attack. We need to find a way to communicate our plan to Cole.” Max’s thoughts dropped into Riley’s mind.
Riley smiled as she started to scribble with her finger in the sandy cave floor. Max’s quick glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that she had drawn a crude pictogram of their plan. It depicted three pairs of dueling figures, a stick dog facing a woman, a bald man facing a woman, and two identical figures facing each other. Propped on one elbow, Cole studied the drawing, frowned briefly and nodded.
At the same time, Mylor, Crane and Paisley broke apart, their faces glowing with self-satisfaction. Quickly Riley mimed for Cole to pretend that he was asleep and he dropped back to the ground in one fluid motion, snapping his eyes shut. Riley swiped at her crude drawing with the back of her hand as Crane approached, his face suffused with an almost unholy joy.
“In case you are curious, we were discussing if we should kill you all now or wait till Mylor takes control of Avalyss. I wanted to kill you now but you will be relieved to learn that Paisley and Mylor have convinced me that killing you in front of the people will be a powerful lesson of the fate that awaits all those who oppose the new regime. But I can still have some fun.” Crane’s eyes raked Riley’s body, his eyes brimming with hate and lust. “I intend to make you my whore the way my brother made you his. Before the end of this night I will make you beg for mercy. Beg for death. The name on your luscious lips will be mine, not my brother’s!” He vowed.
Cole’s body twitched. He found it impossible to lie still when every particle of him cried out to attack Crane. Sickened by his brother’s intentions, he almost choked on his desire to rip him apart. He felt Max’s tail strike his foot once, then twice, and at the third strike, he leapt at Crane, ready to unleash his fury, a savage light in his amber eyes. Barely registering Crane’s look of utter amazement, Cole landed on top of him, toppling them both to the floor. Straddling him he punched Crane in the face, heard the satisfying crunch of breaking bone, and felt the shock of the blow all the way up his arm. With blood streaming from his broken nose, Crane grabbed Cole’s neck and squeezed with all his strength.
When Cole attacked Crane, Max launched himself at Paisley, landing on her in mid-air, knocking her to the ground. Caught by surprise, she had no time to scream before Max’s sharp teeth were at her throat. Sherry brown eyes wide with fear, she froze. With one snap of his powerful jaws, he could have ripped out her throat but he hesitated, and she struck without warning, plunging a dagger deep into his side. Howling, Max sank his teeth in her throat, felt her tense, brief struggle. His grip did not loosen even though she continued to twist the knife while the life slowly drained from her body. When she was finally still, the knife falling with a thud from her lifeless fingers, Max slid to the floor, blood leaking from his side, pooling all around him. He lifted his head to see the remaining two dueling pairs but the four moving figures swam in and out of focus. He felt like he was watching from a great distance and through a smoky screen. Strangely, he could hear nothing, the battle scene was a deadly ballet set to silent music.
Shock flooded across Mylor’s face as Max and Cole simultaneously attacked Paisley and Crane. Eyes flitting from one dueling pair to the other, he froze, then his mouth firmed, and he raised his hand. Before he could cast a spell, Riley flung herself at him. Falling to the sandy cave floor, they rolled around for a moment before Mylor freed himself and sprang to his feet, quick as a snake. Jumping to her feet, Riley faced him.
His eyes throbbed with hate and an unpleasant smile curved his lips. “This is a colossal waste of time. Only a few more seconds of your miserable lives can be gained by these pathetic attacks. You cannot win. I am invincible.” r />
He snapped his fingers and Sultan swooped towards Riley like a ravening bird of prey, ebony blade gleaming in the sunlight streaming through the opening in the cave roof.
“Finish her.” Mylor commanded, eyes wild with triumph.
Before Sultan could obey, Shalimar appeared at Riley’s side, her jeweled hilt showering the room with rainbow light. The swords hovered on opposite sides, facing each other. No words were spoken but Riley knew that they were communicating telepathically. She could imagine Sultan’s fury at Shalimar’s apparent betrayal, and Shalimar’s insistence that she had never agreed to join Sultan and Mylor. After what seemed like hours but was only a couple of seconds, both swords zoomed to the side, leaving only Mylor and Riley facing each other.
Gaping at the swords, expressions of outrage and confusion flickered across Mylor’s face. “What is going on? Both of you chose me. You need to obey me. Kill her. Kill her two allies. Now.”
“I did not choose you. Sultan did. I chose the Princess of Light. Surely, you know that Sultan and I cannot fight against each other. Given that we are on opposite sides we have to sit this one out. If you insist on fighting each other, then you are on your own. Neither one of us can help you.”
Mylor shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face, and for the first time a glimmer of fear appeared in his eyes. “No! Sultan chose me. He has to do what I say. He has to.” His voice was frantic, pleading.
“I do not have to do anything. Shalimar just explained to you why I cannot help you. You killed the father, surely, you can kill the daughter too.”
Mylor took a deep breath and regained control of himself. He looked at Riley, a vicious smile twisting his face. “Sultan is right. I don’t need him to kill you.” His smile grew wider and his eyes shone with glee. “I am going to enjoy this.”
Whirling to the left, he threw a fire ball at her. Reaching out with her mind, she reversed the direction of the fireball, sending it straight back to him like a boomerang. Yelping, he skipped away at the last moment and it was caught and extinguished by the sandy cave floor. A small smile flitted across Riley’s face at Mylor’s shocked expression when the fire ball zoomed back at him. He had refused to believe that she was powerful but he would soon learn how badly he had underestimated her. She ducked and spun as Mylor waved his hand and dozens of arrows flew at her. She was not quite quick enough and one arrow nicked her right arm, drawing blood, and stinging like an angry wasp. She hurled a lightning bolt, and watched Mylor’s smirk disappear as he barely dodged it. Hurling another fireball at her, he gasped, as Riley jumped straight into the air to avoid it and hovered. Once again she had managed to surprise him by using a power he had not known she possessed. His face became a dark cloud of fury. Another lightning movement of his hands and streams of boiling liquid squirted towards Riley who cried out as a few drops landed on her, blistering her wrist. As the pain shot through her hand, she wished she knew in advance what weapons he would be hurling at her so she would be ready for them. Her eyes gleamed as the thought sailed into her head. She could use telepathy to read his mind. Frowning, she tried to remember Toom’s lesson on breaking another person’s mental shield.
Levitating until her head skimmed the roof of the cave, she flung another lightning bolt in his direction. As Mylor rolled away from it, she launched a series of quick lightning bolts in his direction, forcing him to focus on evading them. Focusing, she sent a tendril of thought into his mind and gently pierced his mental shield, slipping unnoticed through the tiny hole. Most of her was concentrating on throwing lightning bolts at Mylor while a small part of her prowled quietly through his mind, eavesdropping on his thoughts.
“Stupid Bitch! I think it’s time to transform, call on the power of the Black Lion.”
Riley was puzzled. Transform? She thought that only dark mages had the power to shape shift. But then she remembered that he was skilled in both types of magic, dark and white. She would be ready for whatever fearsome beast he could transform into. Heedful of Toom’s warning that she could be trapped inside his mind if he discovered what she was up to, she was about to pull out, when one of his thoughts jumped up and slapped her.
“Bitch! How does she have the power to hurl lightning bolts like that? How did she get all those other powers? What the hell is going on here? The Oracle was a falsehood which I invented. She is no champion. I made it all up.”
Riley was so stunned by this knowledge that the part of her inside his head must have given off some signal, alerting him to her presence because, suddenly, she felt a constricting pain jolt through her body. Mylor had closed the hole in his mental shield, trapping some of her life energy inside his head. Immediately, she felt weaker and the steady stream of lightning bolts she was hurling at Mylor turned into a trickle before dwindling to nothing. Darting a quick glance at him, she saw that his face was furrowed in concentration, a triumphant glimmer in his eyes and a gloating smile tugged at his lips. Panic raced through her, scattering her thoughts and constricting her breathing while a small could of darkness hovered on the outer periphery of her mind. She knew that she was on the verge of passing out, and if she did, Mylor would move quickly to finish her. She felt the hot breath of a fire ball as it whizzed by her left ear, a stray spark singed her lobe, and she choked on the smell of her charred flesh. Dizzy and nauseous with the strength oozing out of her body, she fell to her knees, and heard Mylor’s triumphant laughter. Summoning the little strength she had left, she threw one more lightning bolt. She heard Mylor’s surprised yelp, and knew that somehow this last, desperate strike had injured him. Keeping a wary eye on the darkness that had blanketed most of her mind, she focused the tiny part that was still clear on shattering Mylor’s mental shield as she felt the strength and power draining from her. She pictured in her mind’s eye Mylor’s shield as a giant, translucent egg shell, and gathering all the power she still possessed, aimed it like a missile at the egg shell, shattering it into fragments, freeing her trapped life energy, and watched it soar like a falcon and wing its way back to her. Immediately, her strength returned, the darkness clouding her mind disappeared and the world stopped spinning. Opening her eyes, she saw Mylor cradling his right hand which was red and looked like a lump of raw meat, the skin hanging off it in tattered shreds. His face was an agonized mask and little mewls of pain escaped his gasping mouth. Pulling herself to her feet, still reeling from the shocking truth she had discovered in Mylor’s mind, Riley tried to keep her voice steady. “The Oracle was a lie. Cole and I were never destined to fight an epic battle. It was all a lie.”
As Crane’s strong fingers tightened around his neck, Cole’s lungs burned for oxygen and his consciousness started to slip away. Gathering his remaining strength, he changed into lion form. The thick, muscled neck of the huge lion easily slipped out of Crane’s clutching fingers. Roaring, he tossed his golden mane, and ripped Crane’s throat out in one fluid motion. With his muzzle stained red from his brother’s blood, feral amber eyes brimming with bloodlust, he bounded off Crane’s lifeless body and loped towards Riley and Mylor just in time to hear Riley call the Oracle a lie. The shocking declaration stopped Cole in his tracks. Pawing the ground, tossing his mane, he threw back his head and roared mightily, causing the cave walls to shake. Roaring again, he transformed back into human form, waves of fury rolled off him as he stalked towards Riley and Mylor who were staring at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
“Nonsense! The Oracle is not false.” He glared at Riley through heavily lidded eyes. Her skin prickled under his blistering gaze.
“It is false. I read his mind.” She jerked her head in Mylor’s direction. “Ask him if you don’t believe me.”
Cole turned disbelieving eyes towards the smirking Mylor. “Tell her. Tell her that the Oracle is true. It cannot be false.”
Still cradling his injured hand, Mylor nodded. “Yes. It was a brilliant ploy f
or me to become the ruler of Avalyss. Everyone was so preoccupied with the upcoming epic battle and the champions that no one paid any attention to my actions, leaving me free to become an expert in Universal magic. Once I attained mastery, I planned to seize control by staging a coup d’etat. By the time everyone realized that they had been duped, it would have been too late.” Mylor’s voice was manic, his eyes shining with an unholy light.
“If the Oracle was a lie, then my whole life was a lie. A terrible lie. It was never my destiny to rule Avalyss.” Cole’s voice shook.
“The Oracle predicted the mysterious arrival of the twins. Where did you get Cole and Crane?” Riley asked, casting a concerned glance at the pale and trembling Cole.
Mylor threw back his head and laughed, a wild, mad sound reverberating eerily around the cave. “My sons, my twin sons.”
Cole’s mouth dropped open and he became even paler as the blood drained from his face. “You are my father.”
“You were willing to kill your own son, your own flesh and blood, in order to rule Avalyss.” Riley’s voice shook with fury.
Mylor shrugged. “I still had Crane. Remember I have two sons, an heir and a spare. Cole became too obsessed with power. He was a liability. He needed to be eliminated. It was not the original plan. I intended to tell him everything but he never would have agreed to give up his wondrous destiny. He had to be eliminated. Just look at him.” He gestured towards Cole, his eyes full of scorn.
With a stricken look in his amber eyes, Cole was swaying like a wind tossed tree. Riley’s heart twisted with pity. She knew that Cole’s destiny was everything to him. Mylor had just shredded his sense of self and his sole purpose in life.
“Crane knew everything. I told him the truth years ago. He would never have turned against me. He would have waited his turn to rule.” Peering deeper into the cave, Mylor shouted, “Crane, my boy, where are you?” At the sight of Crane’s crumpled body lying in a pool of blood, he yowled and rushed towards him. He shook Crane and kept yelling for him to get up. Finally, with a horrible keening sound, he threw himself on Crane’s lifeless body.
Riley watched in silence as Mylor poured out his grief for his favorite son. His other son, the one he had planned to kill, stared at him, face expressionless. Cole had stopped shaking but occasional spasms wracked his body. Riley wanted to reach out to him but she knew that her concern would not be welcome. As if sensing her gaze, his eyes locked with hers, trapping her in turbulent pools of amber bereft of all hope. She felt a yawning abyss open up between them. Lost in Cole’s agonized gaze, Riley failed to notice the sudden silence as Mylor stopped wailing. A prickle of unease crawled along her neck and she turned just in time to see Mylor hurl a fire ball straight at Cole toppling him to the ground. Screaming, panic clawing through her, dropping to her knees, she cradled his head in her hands. A sob of relief escaped her clenched lips when she heard his soft, hitching breaths.
“The fire ball was set at stun. A quick and painless death is too good for him. He needs to suffer. I will make him watch while I torture you. Before I am finished he will beg me to kill you. And I will be happy to oblige. Then I will torture him till he pleads for death.” Mylor’s voice was flat, his eyes burning with hate and a hint of madness.
Shaking with rage, Riley pushed to her feet. “Bastard! Only a coward would attack without warning. If he dies, I will kill you.”
Mylor’s mocking laughter filled the cave. “Deluded fool. You are not powerful enough to kill me.”
Faster than a striking cobra, he aimed a fire ball at her face. Reflexes honed by adrenaline, Riley twisted and spun out of its path. Before she could hurl a lightning bolt at him, he snarled and transformed into an enormous black lion, with canine teeth the size of hunting knives, gleaming whitely in his fearsome face. His black mane, surrounding his head like a giant halo, brushed the roof of the cave. Riley hesitated, staring at the mammoth beast who stared back with hate-filled bi-colored eyes. Taking advantage of her hesitation, he pounced, knocking her off her feet. His fetid breath hot against her face, she watched transfixed as his razor sharp fangs hovered mere inches above her neck.
Pinned to the cave floor, almost crushed by the monstrous beast, waves of terror crested through Riley as she waited for the fatal attack. Mylor was in no hurry, feral eyes dancing with triumph, he threw back his massive head and roared causing the entire cave to shake, sending clouds of sand flying through the air. Invading her nostrils and throat, the sand choked Riley, stung her eyes and whipped her till her skin was raw. Shrouded by veils of sand, Mylor looked like a mirage. The sand subsided revealing the terrible reality of the snarling beast, foaming at the mouth, ready to slash, rip and tear her flesh into threads. Riley felt nothing, almost like she was a disinterested observer and not a victim on the verge of being ripped apart. To Riley’s numb mind, the scene unfolded in slow motion. Mylor’s head started to descend, huge jaws wide, knife like teeth inching closer. A tormented roar shattered her trance, causing time to speed up. A golden bundle of fury hurled itself at the black lion knocking it off Riley. Icy bands of horror tightened in her chest when she saw Cole, in golden lion form, facing Mylor. Growling, teeth bared, Cole leapt straight at Mylor who easily batted him away with one giant paw, sending Cole flying through the air. He landed on all four feet, whirled and hurled himself again at Mylor, sinking his fangs into Mylor’s neck. Tossing his gargantuan head, Mylor shook Cole off, sending him crashing to the cave floor. Before Cole could jump to his feet, Mylor pinned him to the floor, his razor sharp claws biting into Cole’s neck, drawing blood.
Helpless, Riley watched the battle between the two lions, eyes wide with fear, certain of the inevitable outcome since Mylor, in lion form, outclassed Cole in sheer size and ferocity. She considered throwing a lightning bolt but quickly rejected that idea because she could hit Cole by mistake. But she had to do something. How could she just stand there and watch Mylor kill the man she loved? Her heart somersaulted then froze when Mylor lowered his head, saber teeth poised like twin daggers ready to slice open Cole’s abdomen. Unable to move, Cole looked at Riley. She saw no terror in his amber eyes at his impending death, instead they pulsed with love. A jolt ran through her. Cole loved her. All this time she had believed that he had loved only his destiny and had merely desired her. But at the very end when all was lost, his heart was in his eyes and she saw the depth of his love. Their shared glance was poignant with sorrow, and she choked on the bitter taste of regret. Cole winced as one of Mylor’s lethal canine teeth sliced through his tunic, scraping the tender flesh of his stomach. Mylor’s features twisted in an evil parody of a smile at the enjoyment of toying with his victim. With a quick intake of breath, Riley realized that, in another instant, he would plunge his fangs deep into Cole, slashing him wide open. Frantic, she wished that she could somehow stop the horrible scene from unfolding before her. Her desperate desire pushed the memory to the front of her mind and suddenly she knew what to do. Heart thudding, she ripped the black cord off her neck, grabbed the purple stone and rubbed it furiously. A cracking explosive sound nearly deafened her. Time froze. Sobbing, relief surged through her. She had remembered Meeka’s gift, the power to freeze time, in the nick of time. A wry smile tugged at her lips at the bad pun. Shuddering at Cole’s near brush with a grisly death, she rushed towards the frozen figures.
Knowing that she only had a few minutes before time unfroze, she pushed at the mammoth body of the black lion with all her strength, trying to get him off Cole but he did not budge. Grunting, sweat leaking down her brow and stinging her eyes, she tried once more. She could hear time ticking while she redoubled her efforts. Exhausted, dropping to her knees, she felt like she had been straining for hours when it had only been less than a minute. Pushing was futile since she was not strong enough to dislodge Mylor’s body. The ticking clock in her head grew louder and her heart mimicked
its rhythm. She could almost see time speeding past on winged feet. Pushing her sweat soaked hair off her face, she tried to think of another way to move Mylor without using physical strength. When the idea crept into her mind, as stealthy as a thief in the night, her heart lurched to a stop before racing like a herd of wild thoroughbreds in her chest. Closing her eyes, breathing deeply, she gathered all her mental energy and focused on shifting Mylor. She felt the energy gather into a tight ball and explode outwards, knocking her off her feet. Snapping open her eyes, she saw Mylor hovering a few inches above Cole. Darting forward, she pulled Cole’s body from under Mylor just as time unfroze. Mylor fell back to the floor with a loud thud, landing on all fours. With a quizzical expression on his face, he stared at Riley and Cole, both lying spread eagled on the floor. With a blood curdling roar, bloodlust in his eyes, Mylor surged straight at Riley, giant jaws wide open, razor sharp canine teeth glittering in the sunlight streaming through the opening in the cave roof. Shocked into immobility, Riley could only stare while snarling death flew like an arrow towards her.
Morphing back into human form, Cole unfroze at the same time as Mylor. Disoriented, head spinning, he looked up in time to see Mylor’s flying leap towards Riley. With one quick flick of his wrist, he tossed a fire ball, striking Mylor in mid-air, knocking him backwards. His body fell with a thud, bi-colored eyes, wide open and staring. Cole looked at Riley who was motionless staring at Mylor’s unmoving body. Worried, he started towards her when he caught a flicker of movement on his right side. Whirling, he raised his hand, ready to throw another fire ball when Riley screamed at him to stop. Pausing, he saw Max dragging his body over to Riley, thick blood along with a clear green liquid oozing from a knife wound on his flank. With a broken cry, Riley ran towards Max, threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his black fur. Max, green eyes glassy almost lifeless, licked the tears from her face.
“Max! Don’t you dare die on me, you great big galoot. Don’t you dare! I’ll kick your sorry butt all over Avalyss if you do. Please don’t die.”
Cole hovered helplessly, his own heart breaking as he witnessed her raw pain and terror at the thought of losing Max. Swaying on his feet, bloody and bruised, he fought the abyss of blackness which tried to claim him, took one faltering step in Riley’s direction, fell flat on his face and slipped into unconsciousness.