The Woven Crown (Completed)

Chapter 5

In a split second Thistle was out the door and running to meet Firdas. It still surprised Ryla how fast the old woman could move. Caravan doors slammed open as the rest of the crew came spilling out.

Rhid came running from his wagon, an unsheathed knife already in hand. Sahana came skidding to a halt beside him holding a long staff of her own. Ryla was surprised to see Willem and Graphiel both pull swords from their wagons, although the blacksmith's was a good bit larger and more broad than the storyteller's. Until now, Ryla had never seen anyone other than Rhid carry a weapon around camp.

They stood still and listened as more screeches echoed the first. Ryla had once seen the stable master of Wightmanstry put down a lame horse. He'd slipped when making the first stroke of the knife across its throat. The gurgling scream that burst from the poor creature before the man was able to make the killing blow was not unlike the sounds now coming from the forest.

"What are they doing way out here? We're miles from the Tapestry!" yelled Firdas.

"They must've been drawn to one of the villages around here," replied Graphiel, pulling a long nightcap off of his head and stuffing it into a tunic pocket.

"What are they?" asked Ryla from the doorway of the wagon, her heart beating fast. They all turned to look at her. Once again, it seemed everyone had momentarily forgotten she was there. Before they could answer her, a pocket of shadow tore itself away from the recesses of the forest with an ear-piercing scream and hurdled itself at them.

Sahana's staff caught it under the chin and knocked it back, temporarily dazed. Ryla's breath caught in her throat and she reached out to steady herself on the door frame. She didn't know what she had expected, but this surely wasn't it.

The creature now scuttling about in front of them was unnaturally tall and elongated. Its head and face were wrapped with what seemed to be dirty strips of rotten fabric. Although it had no visible facial features, she could just make out the indentions marking the places where the eyes and mouth were supposed to be.

The emaciated body ended in three spider-like legs that clicked as it moved toward them again. Thunk! A knife found its mark and buried itself deep into its gray flesh. The monster barely missed a beat and Rhid let another fly. This time it was deflected by the jerky movements of its pointed arm. Sahana landed a blow across its back. It paused and turned its head in short staccato movements, tilting it this way and that, the sightless face assessing the situation.

A bolt buried itself in its throat. Ryla looked up to see Danelle and Dhavlin lying flat on top of their wagon with a small crossbow like weapon. Dhavlin handed Danelle another arrow and she adjusted her position.

Thistle came back towards Ryla and pushed her roughly back inside the wagon, following in after her. "Stay in here with me. I'm much more useful after the fighting is over."

"What are they?" Ryla asked again.

"Valkrin. Nasty beasts. We haven't heard of a gathering in these parts for months. They mean certain death for anyone caught unprepared, but the crew should be able to handle these." She went to the window and pulled back the threadbare curtain as she spoke.

Another valkrin had arrived and was fending off blows from Willem's sword. Firdas crouched nearby flicking something small and shiny at the creature's face. It screamed and raised its arms, trying in vain to scrape them off. Ryla strained to see. It looked as if he was flicking large sewing needles with the speed and accuracy of Rhid's knives.

Rhid kept the first valkrin distracted with an endless supply of knives hidden on his person while Graphiel and Sahana met with a third. Rhid baited the monster, trying to get it in a better position. It struck out at him and he dodged lithely past, his acrobatic skills coming in handy. He leapt from side to side, drawing it closer. Finally, he sprinted towards a tree and used it as a springboard to launch himself over the valkrin's head, landing softly behind it. With one quick motion and a smirk to match, Rhid plunged a knife into the base of its skull. It collapsed to the ground, limbs jerking and twitching.