Cataindar

CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

Luisa pushed the abbot into a chamber, “Don’t leave this room Abbot!” 

“Princess no, you must hide, we must….”

 She closed the door on his protests and skirted back into the corridor.

Where would they have taken Clearwater? The scougers training quarters?  That is where they know best. 

She made her way up the slope. Cataindar was silent and nearly dark, with the occasional scream or yell in the distance.

She took a deep breath.

Come on Luisa. You can do this.

 She moved along the corridors quickly.  Her pendant began to glow, softly at first, then brighter.  She had the crawling feeling in her stomach that she was heading into danger.  It was such a stifling sensation, every bone in her body was telling her to run away.  But she continued up the corridor.  It turned sharply.  She could barely breathe as she turned the corner.  She tried to beat down the fear.

The corridor ahead was nearly pitch black.

Don't be a coward Luisa!

She powered herself up the slope.

Was that movement in the distance?

Luisa strained her eyes searching the darkness at the end of the corridor.

The creature was so huge she had mistaken it in the gloom for the end of the corridor.

She watched the gigantic head turn slowly, carefully sniffing the air. It stopped, was completely motionless and then suddenly whipped around to face her.  In the distance two red pricks for eyes were staring back into Luisa’s own.

In the distance was a giant ratain. And it had seen her.

The creature let out a bellowing roar and immediately fell to all fours in a gallop towards Luisa.

She turned and started running as fast as she could back down the corridor. Once around the corner she tried every door, locked, locked, locked. Panic pulled shreds out of her, she wrenched on the fourth door - it was open!  She slammed it behind and twisted the bolt. Safe! She ran to the other side, exited out the second door and fled into the corridor, turning a hard left and dashing down the slope. 

Behind her a thundering explosion shook the ground, chunks of rock fell from the ceiling. Luisa fell to her knees, but pulled herself up and chanced a glance behind to see the ratain crash through the wall, smashing stone and masonry everywhere.  It scrambled to its feet and let out another roar, in its hand it held the giant sword from royal weapons chest.  In the gloom she could see its patchy white fur covered in blood. Luisa pounded forward, down the corridor and was almost knocked off her feet again by two of Finn’s scougers that had come to her aid.

She caught the horror in their eyes as they pushed her behind them. “Princess, run!”

Luisa watched them glance at one another, their eyes a grim mirror; their last fight.

Luisa continued to tear down the slope, turning again to see the ratain king fling a scouger to the wall and drive his sword through him with such force it went through the stone. The ratain backfisted the other catain across the corridor and leapt upon him, leaving the scouger pinned to the wall.

Every muscle told her to run back and do something to try and save them. But it was already too late! 

Luisa forced herself to turn back, the catain’s screams ringing in her ears as she continued to run down the slope towards the kitchens.