Page 44 of The Divine Shallows
“Right, I should have thought of that,” Elowyn scolded herself, shaking her head in frustration.
Calling to their magic, Elowyn and Elyria attempted to summon a moongate. Though it required more effort than expected, shimmering pillars eventually materialized. Stepping through the portal, they expected to find themselves back at the castle. However, as they entered, the portal disintegrated and left nothing but faint wisps of moonlight. They were left still standing amidst the darkness of the Elberrin Forest.
Elowyn frowned and turned to her sister. “They must have altered the wards in Lochwald after all the guests had already arrived.”
Elyria nodded thoughtfully, remaining silent as she considered the situation.
“We’re in trouble,” Elowyn exclaimed, her distress evident. “You’re a divine candidate, for Goddess’ sake. You have to be at the ritual.”
“It’s okay, let’s just figure this out,” Elyria reassured. “I’m attempting to locate the castle with a spell, but there’s something in the forest that’s interfering with my magic. I can’t seem to control it the way I need to. Can you try using yours?”
Elowyn attempted to call upon her magic, but confusion clouded her expression. “That’s odd… I can’t even sense my magic, let alone summon a location spell. This is getting creepy. What about a communication spell? Can you send someone a message?”
“I’m trying. It’s like I can’t do anything with my magic in this Goddess forsaken forest. My magic won’t respond to me,” Elyria replied, frustrated as she attempted to tap into her magical reserves once more.
They froze suddenly when something stirred from the darkness behind them—a branch snapped in the forest.
Whirling around, Elyria shoved Elowyn behind her body and crouched defensively. For a tense moment, they remained frozen in silence, their senses heightened as they strained to detect any furtherdangers from the darkness surrounding them. They were greeted with only silence, but Elyria did not surrender from her defensive stance.
Ahead of them, obscured by the thick trees, something stirred. Both sisters held their breath as they scanned the shadows with vigilant eyes. A large hidden silhouette emerged from the darkness, not just moving, butprowlingtowards them at a measured pace.
Elowyn’s heart was pounding, her body was screaming at her to run. She couldn’t discern her sister’s aura through the panic that clouded her mind. She cursed the restrictive gown she wore, also regretting declining Caswin’s offer of an escort. Elyria remained steadfast, but without their magic, they were defenseless.
Elowyn recalled her studies back home of creatures capable of stifling and muting magic, creatures she believed to be extinct. The only other explanation would be a dangerous sorceress or warlock with the ability to cast a magically oppressive hex on them. With no physical weapon available, Elowyn felt hopeless to defend herself.
Continuing to lurk from the shadows, the silhouette stalked closer to the sisters and revealed itself from the brush. Elowyn’s heart stopped, eyes widened in fear. What she saw was like nothing she had ever encountered before. The creature that emerged from the veil of darkness resembled a beast of death incarnate.
Elyria’s arm shot to her skirts, and she brandished a sleek dagger to arm herself, not faltering from her guarded stance. A surprised look came from Elowyn who had no idea where the dagger came from, but she thanked her older sister in her mind a thousand times over. Her gratitude was swiftly returned to terror at what stood before them.
The beast stood on four hideous legs. It possessed two massive hind legs and two slender forelegs. The creature looked like a breed mixed between a wolf and a hellhound. What was most petrifying about the creature was that it appeared like a rotting corpse, but it was alive, moving fluidly. Its form was thoroughly decomposed, as if an expired carcass were reanimated and controlled by another force. Clumpsof its dark coat were ripped from its torso and underneath were decaying layers of rancid bone, souring flesh, and putrid organs.
The smell that festered from the open wounds was unbearable. The horrible beast was large enough to meet the height of their chests when standing fully upright. Elowyn shrunk further behind her sister, paralyzed with fear. The creature prowled closer, now ten feet away from them. Its lifeless eyes bore into them, their shade a muted gray, the color of nothingness. It began to crouch into an offensive position and bore its wicked fangs. Drool dripped from its malformed maw, and it snarled with outrage.
The snarl that erupted from its throat was not something of this world—it originated from the darkest pits of hell. Elowyn’s knees trembled and her breathing turned wretched. Her eyes were fixed on the yellowing, corroding fangs of the beast that were lethal enough to gravely maim them both, perhaps even kill them.
Out of the shadows emerged two more creatures identical to the decaying beast before them, bringing their hunting party to three. The first positioned itself to attack, flanked by its two newly arrived companions assuming identical aggressive stances. Elowyn’s resolve wavered as fear gripped her mind.
“Stay behind me,”Elyria whispered. The words were barely audible, lost in the chaos of the moment.
Without warning, the first creature lunged towards them, eliciting a scream from Elowyn as it bore down on Elyria. In response, Elyria charged towards the creature, her dagger aimed for its jugular. With a swift motion, she slashed at its neck, but the beast evaded, only receiving a superficial wound. Snarling in pain, it directed its attention to Elyria.
Frozen by fear, Elowyn could only watch as Elyria faced the creaturealone. Sensing her sister’s distress, Elyria summoned her courage, determined to protect them both.
The other two beasts slinked around the sisters, surrounding them from all sides. The three canines began circling them, stalking the snow-haired sisters, their predatory instincts fully engaged.
Attempting to tap into her magic once more, Elyria found her reserves still trapped within an invisible cage, stifled by the oppressive atmosphere of the forest. Despite her fear, she refused to yield, summoning every ounce of her willpower to resist the unseen force constricting her abilities. With fierce determination, she launched a mental assault against the barrier confining her powers, desperate to break free.
As the three decaying canines lunged towards them, Elyria’s panic surged into hysteria. She fought desperately to unleash her magic, driven by the singular thought of protecting her sister at all costs. With a final surge of defiance, she shattered the suppressive spell, raising her forearm to shield herself and Elowyn.
In an instant, a translucent barrier materialized before them, forming a protective sphere that shielded them completely. The three beasts, mere moments away from attacking, collided violently with the shield, their onslaught thwarted.
A surge of adrenaline coursed through Elyria as she sheathed her dagger and called upon her magic once more. While maintaining a portion of her power to sustain the protective shield, she directed the bulk of her focus towards the three snarling canines.
Raising her palm, Elyria summoned an inferno. She willed the flames to split into three fiery bolts and aimed each one of them to a respective rotting heart. But before she could release the fiery bolts, a strange pulse rippled through the air, stifling her magic once again. In the next moment, her flames were smothered. She willed her hand ablaze again, but failed to produce even a flicker.
Frustrated but not discouraged, Elyria hastily adjusted her strategy.Thrusting her arms into the mossy land, she released a torrent of magic into the soil, channeling it into the ground. From her hands, luminescent tendrils seeped into the terrain and embedded themselves in the Elberrin Forest’s network of roots and vines that sprawled beneath the forest floor. Elyria commanded the roots and vines to ensnare the beasts, binding and anchoring them to the ground.
The decaying canines gnashed at the vines trapping their limbs, but the coils remained secure as the beast’s fangs attempted to shred them. With her labored breaths, Elyria grabbed Elowyn’s hand and propelled her sister into motion, fleeing from the trapped beasts. As they ran, Elyria’s mind raced for a solution, knowing that their makeshift restraints would soon falter, and the creatures would be hot on their heels once more.
