The Cinders of Dezu

19th: Roots (4)

Then she felt something strange as she gazed into it. It looked pretty. But the whole thing started to make her feel sick. She didn't know why. It was a pit in her stomach sick, like she had done something wrong and needed to tell on herself to clear her conscience. But there was nothing to tell. It was just the feeling. It laid on her chest like a brick and sat in her stomach like a stone. After a moment she felt her eyes start to well up with tears. What was this thing? What was happening?

She was so caught up in it that she didn't notice the forest around her grow still. A tension grew in the air. Raina felt eyes on her. This feeling was secondary to the strange sadness and guilt she felt and for a moment though the emotion felt blended in with this whole strange experience. She wouldn't have snapped out of her focus if it weren't for the sound of a loud and angry chuff. Raina looked passed the tangled flickering roots.

There at the edge of the clearing were two large eyes glaring at her with a fury she had never seen. They were on either side of the wide head of a bull, yet it's long sharp horns on its head were matched with a second set protruding from where his nostrils should be. Instead, it's actual nostrils were slits like a reptile on the front of its face just above the bottom set of horns. They flared in anger as it chuffed again.

The beast was a deep navy blue with high raised shoulders and a beautiful dark blue mane that ran down the length of his back. It's tale whipped in irritation. Raina was frozen. Her mind raced for options as the beast scraped the ground with its hoof. The moment felt like a surreal nightmare. The thing was about to charge her! It was all happening so fast.

Suddenly, she felt something like a mental and emotional synch with the animal. She lowered the ball of roots from her face and made a low rumble in her throat. The alien looking bull stopped scraping the ground. It's powerful legs stood firm. Raina rumbled again. The things eyes began to soften.

Raina stood up and put her arm out. She made a call to it that started out low then went high briefly, then low again. The blue bull lost the anger in its eyes but stayed in position. It then lifted its head and made a deep warbling vocalization. Raina was about to back up but then recognized the sound. She was safe. That was when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Get back, Raina."

It was Orion's voice. The bull lowered its head and its eyes filled with fury again.

"No, no!" Raina whispered urgently.

"I know your power, but it's a savern bull. There's no reasoning with it."

He yanked her back behind him. She saw his armor was seared and scraped with mud and dirt.

"Please! I almost had him-"

A guttural bellow rang out from the bull as it reared back.

"Leave!! Now!!"

Raina stumbled back as Orion reached his hand back to push her. She saw Orion hurl a magnificent stream of flame at the charging beast. She turned and ran into the trees. She wasn't far before she felt the unforgiving heat of the battle behind her. She ran behind a large boulder still clutching the root ball.

Over the top and to the side of it she saw the trees bend to the heat and ignite. A loud swirl of flames was tearing at the tops of the branches above her and trying to wrap itself around the boulder. She was protected but the heat was almost unbearable.

Through it all she could hear the bellow of the savern bull continue unabated in chorus with the desperate cries of the king.

Finally, the heat stopped and the flames were literally sucked from the branches above her, leaving them burnt but not smoldering. She heard the bellow continue and the Kings cries we're getting more and more reduced. He was in agony. Slowly he became silent and the bellow of the bull became grunts mixed with heavy stomps to the ground. It wasn't long before she heard the gallop of the creature receding into the woods beyond.

Raina stepped out from behind the boulder and made her way back to where she left the king. On the other side of the now burnt and charred clearing was a mangled and gored Orion. Raina screamed and ran to him. She dropped to her knees over his punctured and broken chest.

"No! No! Orion! No!"

Through bloody teeth he tried to comfort her.

"Shh, shh," he said, "get... get... I'm going to be fi-"

His breath was labored and wheezing. Raina's tears wet his face.

"What do I do?! Is there something-"

"Listen, listen," he said in a hushed tone, "the weapon you have, the ball."

Raina looked down at the thing tucked under her arm as he spoke.

"It's important, Raina. It's... critical to," he grunted as he tried to shift his weight, "my people... they need you to find out what it is. To protect them. I need you to protect them."

"No! Orion! I don't know what to do! You can't die! Don't die!" she cried.

Orion winced as he released a weak chuckle.

"No one is going to die, little one," he said, "Thankfully there are more secrets here than you know."