The Fires of Cerran

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The two towers of the stronghold entrance, half crumbled and parading their inner stairways to the open countryside, were the first sights that beheld the company as they came upon Cerran. From within the place a thick mist, almost snow white at the edges, poured out long grey vines of smoke and ash. The ground was heavily ridden, and large pools of dark water smeared with blood and broken bodies littered the way. Chainmail, helmets, and spears lay upon the ground, as if thrown in desperation to lighten a man's futile escape. There were men too, or at least pieces of them, scattered and stripped of most flesh as the wolves and crows fed in plenty.

The company halted at the entrance, looking about the walls of the place, or what remained. Trunks of redwoods, some one hundred years old or more, lay upon the ground like litter, stripped away from the surrounding walls as if they were nothing more than a twig to the serpent that now dwelled there. They could not see into the place, and as Ramon scouted the West side of the structure, he found a large hole through which the smog was just as impenetrable.

'Can you sense anything?' Lenren asked of Melran, as the girl traced her fingers along the marks left by the creature's talons.

'He is asleep, but he waits for us.' She returned gravely, the mark itself as big as her.

Lenren sighed and bent down, from within his cloaks he produced his bow and arrows. He ran his fingers along the curving edges and pulled at the strings.

Astriel sat beside him and they counted the arrows, twelve in all.

'Is this all we have?' She asked, looking to her leader with worried eyes.

'Do not fear, the tips have been laced with a poison.'

'And how do you know that they will find the creature's hide? Especially if the beast is scaled as Velgar said.' Ramon enquired as he joined them, the tip of his longsword cutting at the ground beneath his feet.

'The beast is not impenetrable; it is no god or demon. It is flesh, flesh and blood.' Lenren returned, palming off the question Ramon has asked him.

'What have you got?' Ramon asked Melran as she looked to them. Removing her riding cloak, she unsheathed her dagger and he nodded.

'Is that all?' He asked.

'Aye, my strength is not with my sword.' Melran answered confidently. Ramon grumbled an inaudible reply, though Melran guessed it was one that held little hope or appreciation for her talents.

Lenren lifted himself and looked towards the entrance of the stronghold.

'We shall need to contain the beast as much as we can. I suggest that we enter as two groups, one from the side and one from the front. We can use the mist to our advantage.' He began, 'We can then look to draw the creature from its slumber.' He glanced to Melran.

'I can wake it, but once awakened then we cannot fail.' Melran warned them, and they all nodded in uncertain agreement.

'We will use arrow fire to keep the beast from entrapping any of us, but we must use brute strength and speed in our own attacks. I think Astriel has the best chance of any to get close to the creature.' Lenren continued, and he saw the flash of terror across Astriel's face as he spoke.

'If you can get close enough to the beast, find a mark, then I can focus my arrow fire on those marks. Once the beast bleeds and the poison begins to take effect, we can begin our final assault.' He said with as he unhooked his riding cloak and pulled his quiver bag across his shoulders, letting it rest against his back.

'And what of Hellblaze?' Ramon asked, looking to his own blade as it shone in the dying light.

'That will kill the beast.' Lenren said confidently, and then turned to face Melran again.