The Prodigies: The Return of Equinox

Chapter 51 - Ordered: Before the Court

One after the other, six massive reptilian heads emerged out of the water. They were larger than the boat that the Prodigies were on. Each of their eyes were giant pools of amber with perfectly circular black abysses in them. What looked like fins wrapped around their skulls like a frill, and they had gils on their necks near their skulls. They had heads similar to that of a snake, though much more angled in a vertical sense. They bared their teeth and each tooth was as long, as sharp, and stronger than a sword.

"What do you have to say for yourselves? To hunt us?"

"I only have one thing to say!" Declared Celesta. The rest of the Prodigies were petrified by fear and awe, and only stared bewildered at Celesta who seemed to not show any hints of timidness. The nearest head to them slowly approached, as though to hear her better. Celesta was met with a giant eye in front of her face.

"And what would you have to say before us?"

"Dwǝ." The air between Celesta and the eye of the serpent broke. It broke in the manner that there was too much energy present in one place at one time. If the space between them were an egg, a mountain the size of the whole of Aviagard had fallen at a speed ten times faster than it should have been from a height incomprehensible only to land on the said egg. Even though this much power was being manipulated, Celesta was far too careful to have any of it harm her or her team. The entirety of the blast blew forward into the circumference of the serpent's eye.

The resulting impact obliterated the eye, completely blew off the flesh from bone in the area of the eye, and splintered the area of the skull around the eye socket. The serpent's head reeled backwards and hot blood spewed in all directions painting the bow and Celesta. The hot fluid felt scalding hot on Celesta's arms, but she held in any signs of discomfort. She had felt worse getting her arms to become immune to sense. The other serpents made no move as the seemingly dead serpent dipped into the water. They still bared their teeth and eyed the boat, but they did not react to the attack on one of the heads.

"Do you have blood you can spare, Ellondra?" asked Celesta in a hushed tone. 

"What for?" gulped the huven.

"To coat your arrows, that might get past any wards they might have. I think maybe you could pierce their flesh."

"B-but..."

"But what?" Hissed Celesta. That was when the back of the boat was smacked with such force that it knocked everyone over and cracked the whole stern, or back of the boat. The ship would had started flooding were in not for the one of the talismans that Celesta had embedded into the boat. The two in use prevented flooding and strengthened the wood at any point of impact. 

"How will I know that it'll work!" cried Ellondra as she lied on the deck of the ship.

"How do you know that it won't?" Celesta responded. That was when she heard Mel's words ring in her ears and the message that his story carried. She could see it now. The warmth of their little hut. The books strewn about, and the empty cups of tea that Fox always left around. She could see the flames that he was feeding with wood. In a moment of serene clarity she now knew what he was talking about.

"Desperation will bring out more than your best." She was desperate. She wanted to live. She wanted to right the wrongs done to her. She wanted to ensure a period of peace for her people. She wanted them to be free. She knew what she had to do. She pulled out a knife that she had been carrying at her hip and made a small puncture on her left hand, the hand she held her bow with. 

The half-faced Serpent arose out of the waters and faced Ellondra in all its bloody, disgusting, and menacing glory. She quickly grabbed an arrow out of her quiver, squeezed the tip with her left hand and seamlessly drew her bow fully and released her arrow at the beast. It was the fastest she had ever drew and released an arrow and she could feel the immediate strain on her muscles. She wasn't used to doing shooting like that. This bow was meant for to be used slowly. The pull weight alone was beyond any other, and the sudden action of her muscles to pull it so quickly shocked them.

The arrow, though it was shot haphazardly, flew true towards its target. Ellondra had seen it for just a moment, but knew that it was the only place she could kill it at. It flew right into the eye socket, through cracked bone, and directly into the brain of the creature. The thing slumped back into the sea with a short cry.

Ellondra sat frozen on the deck of the ship, Seilana wrestled with the rudder, Celesta held onto the railing for support, and Voleria lied flat on the deck anchored to the deck. The other five serpents sunk into the lake as well. The lake had once again grew quiet.

"Did you kill it?" asked Seilana. She had loosened her grip on the rudder, and took a shaky step towards Ellondra.

"I hope so."

"There's still five more to go! Focus!" Celesta knelt on the deck hanging onto the railing of the bow. That spell had cost more than she was aware of at first, but she had to play it safe. She didn't want the actual magic to touch the serpent, but she also didn't want the thing to survive. She knew she was a bit in over her head. This wasn't good.

"Right!" yelled Seilana. "Let's keep moving. I feel better when I'm not a sitting duck." Even so, the boat was slow moving with the lack of wind.

"Duck sounds very good right now." said Voleria. A brilliant idea had just then struck Seilana. 

"Do you think you can eat through the scales of the serpents?" 

"I don't know. But I would like to try." Voleria hummed low in a sort of pleased growl. The kind an animal would make when getting to try a new type of prey.