Undiscovered Origins

Undiscovered Origins - Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

            Fear clouded Jade’s mind as she stared at the gargoyles in disbelief. Their faces were scarred and full of short horns on their cheeks, jaw, and on top of their heads. Their mouths opened wide and shrieked, revealing several deformed teeth and four of them were enormous. One was at each corner of its large mouth. They had large sharp and pointed ears that nearly touched their wings. The most frightening thing about them was their eyes. Their entire body was silver from head to toe, including their wings, but their eyes were blood red. She had never seen such a blood red before.

            Drake seemed to shake uneasily as if he wasn’t sure what he could do against the five of these demons. If Drake didn’t know how to react, how was she supposed to know? Let alone what to do against such fierce looking creatures. She felt Drake’s stare and turned back to him as he slid towards her.

            “Remember how I said I can’t transform for long.” He whispered.

            “Yeah.” She replied.

            “Let us hope it is long enough… find a tree… use the vines!” He whispered fiercely before storming forward.

            He sheathed his sword as he ran and she witnessed for the first time -- besides from the shadows which she didn’t count -- how he transformed from man to beast. The first thing that transformed was his hands into gigantic wings that spread out on both sides of his body. Next, his head became reptilian, followed by the rest of his body and ending at his feet. In front of her flew a wyvern of green emerald, the same color as Drake’s eyes. Four of the gargoyles frantically attacked at him but one flew towards her.

            It would to be too much to ask for to have another oak stump close by and she sighed as she held her scimitar in front of her. The gargoyle dove swiftly towards her and she dashed to her side slashing at it as she fell. She heard it shriek out in pain, but she felt agony as well. When she rolled on the ground she noticed blood dripping from a deep claw mark on her left arm. The pain felt almost unbearable and her arm throbbed furiously.

            “Come to me Jade.” Whispers of an oak tree called.

            Frantically, she tossed her head around looking for an oak tree that must have been like that of a needle in a haystack. Finally her eyes rested on one lone tree in the midst of pine. It was a magnificent tree and larger than any oak she had ever seen. Before she could get to it she was tackled by another gargoyle.  Now there were two attacking her. She was able to shift her scimitar enough to stab the creature in the stomach and it howled in pain before flying off.

            She quickened her pace until she met with the tree nearly hugging it before turning back around to see the two gargoyles flying quick straight for her. In her mind she asked the tree for assistance and she was nearly shocked when she felt vines traveling from her ankles over the rest of her body. Oak leaves covered every inch of her but left lots of exposed skin between the vines. They felt like little patches of armor against her cold skin.

            She held her scimitar with her right hand and held up her left arm in front of her. Vines sprang from her left hand that sunk deep into the chest of one gargoyle. Its shrieks didn’t seem to affect the other as it nearly collided with her if not for the deflection of her sword. The beast bounced off her blade, and when it stood back to its feet she sliced again, this time at the neck, and decapitated the creature. At the same time she raised her left arm and dropped it abruptly shattering the second gargoyle as well. Both turned to dust of rocks that scattered across the ground.

            She shifted her gaze to Drake who seemed to tear one gargoyle apart with his jaws and another from the strong flames burning its head off. The final was giving him problems though as it flew around fast diving in and pecking at him, giving him scars and shouts of pain.

            Jade looked down to her scimitar and wished it were a bow instead. She was nearly astonished when it transformed before her eyes. These new powers she was still getting used to. She looked down and the scimitar’s scabbard turned into a quiver full of arrows. She gulped as she pulled out an arrow, and realized she had never shot a bow before.

            “Trees help me.” She whispered.

            The vines did as she asked and climbed up her arm to her hands that helped steady her shaky grip on the bow. She thought her aim was as close as she could achieve at the gargoyle, but the vines seemed to change her target slightly before awaiting the release of her fingers. Letting go, she watched as the arrow soared through the air and imbedded with the neck of the gargoyle. Its shriek was so painful that Jade had to cover her ears as she watched the creature wither in pain before Drake turned back to human form, and as he dropped to the ground he slid his flamberge out and sliced off the creature’s head.

            Jade ran towards him gasping at the deep marks all across his chest. She had seen this before and it finally dawned on her. These type of creatures had attacked him before.

            “It wasn’t mercenaries that attacked you that night… but gargoyles.” She uttered in shock.

            “Yes… it was gargoyles… but they were hired by the dark one… so yes they are mercenaries.” He whispered clearly in pain.

            Her fingers stroked his warm lips and he looked into her eyes for a long moment before his mouth contacted hers. She lost herself in his deep kiss longing to kiss him as well. It wasn’t until his tongue began dancing with hers that she snapped out of it and jerked away. She still did not forgive him for the way he had treated her, and she glared at him in frustration before landing a loud smack across his cheek.

            “Ow!” He cried out, “What was that for?”

            “Do not think Sir Drake that just because you are hurt you can get any kind of sympathy from me. You best be lucky I do not bite your tongue off.” She snapped.

            “Do not tease me darling.” He muttered bitterly under his breath.