The Sword and the Flame: The Forging

Chapter 27

Berek pushed aside a branch so he could have a better view. In front of him was a dense grove of trees surrounded by thick brush. Not more than ten feet away, he could hear the gargoyle breathing. The short rhythmic sound meant Fech was sleeping. A shame.

Berek hoped the creature would be awake so it could see its death, but he'd been robbed of that by chance. Since the attack on the inn, he found it difficult to reign in his temper, fighting against the urge to charge the grove with a battle cry. Instead, he felt another option would work best. If Fech survived, so much the better.

A spell came to Berek's mind. He didn't know from where or how, but he knew it was the right one. He muttered the words, pronouncing them each perfectly. Once he spoke the final syllable, a fire ball shot from him and struck the grove. The entire grove burst into flames, causing a heart piercing shriek to roar out from the heart of the blaze.

The dark shape of Fech leapt from his hiding place and landed in the clearing between the grove and Berek. With parts of him on fire, the Gargoyle clawed his way to the small stream running next to the clearing and fell in.

After a moment, Fech pulled himself out and onto the bank, his red, feral eyes burned brighter than the fire that had engulfed him. "Who dares attack me?" Though it came out more like a gravely sound than anything else, Berek understood and burst into laughter.

Fech spun towards the sound and recognized Berek. He knew the human hadn't been standing in the clearing before. He must've come out of hiding while Fech was in the stream.

Fech let out a deep growl, but the human kept laughing, "What's wrong, Fech? Afraid of a little fire?"

"You were a fool to come after me, Berek!" Not knowing he'd done so, Fech reverted to speaking his native Draconian due to his anger and hatred.

To Berek, it all sounded like Common, "Then show me, pet, or won't your master lift his boot high enough?"

"You dare mock me!" Fech lunged towards Berek with the strength of his four limbs. The speed of the action should've surprised the human, but Berek side-stepped, only catching a talon across his chest. Though it was just a scratch by gargoyle standards, it cut an inch into his flesh after cutting through the leather armor. "First blood is mine human, so will be the last!" Fech barely landed before he pivoted and launched at Berek again.

Ignoring the pain in his chest, Berek ducked low to avoid Fech, forcing the gargoyle to miss with his talons. With his foe off balance, Berek drove his sword into Fech's midsection. While the strike was deep, it missed anything of importance, but was enough to bring a howl of pain and anger from Fech.

With a sword buried six inches into his side, Fech swiveled, backhanding Berek across the face. The force of the blow sent the human hurtling into a small group of bushes several feet away. Fech reached down and pulled the sword from his side, glaring at the dark blood covering the blade before tossing it to the side. Never before had anyone wounded him that severely. Fech closed the distance between them determined not to allow it to happen again.

As soon as he made contact with the ground, Berek rolled to the side, expecting Fech to leap towards him. He rolled to his knees in time to see his short sword being tossed aside. He was no match for the gargoyle without a weapon; they both knew it. But instead of being attacked, he watched as Fech flexed his claws, circling around him. He was surprised, it wasn't like a gargoyle to not finish off a victim as soon as possible. Whatever had caused the change in Fech, Berek was grateful. That was until he heard the words of magic. While he didn't understand them, his intuitively knew what was to come. Things had just become more complicated.

*****

"They can't have gotten too far. I doubt Fech would risk returning to Renard." Gilliam pushed aside a smaller branch so it wouldn't get caught in his robes and held it for Fleir.