The One Who Was Chained

3

I had forgotten that ebony towers had guardians. They were the cornerstones for the magical border. If they fell, the magic would erupt, resulting in either a fiery death if you were too close to one, or death by mortals. So, through logic, the creators of this place had decided to place a monster before each one. And I only had a crossbow. Great. And Queenie probably wasn't going to be much help. The only way in was to flay whatever monster awaited us. I heard a growl from within, footsteps laced with thunder cracks. Violet eyes danced in the shadows, midnight black fur, wet with the heavy rain was illuminated by lightning. It pouced, it's great claws as long as my arm. I dropped my crossbow, and the creature smashed it like it was a mere pebble, leaving me defenseless. I whistled for Klika.

"A little help!" She came, barreling into the creature. But even a wyvern of her size could not hold a Varcat for long. I looked around for something, anything to defend myself with. The weight of the silver cuff in my pocket grew heavier by the second. I didn't want to use it. Not until I had to. I didn't like the feeling of being all-powerful. But this seemed like a pretty dire situation. Even Queenie, who had somehow escaped my bag, was clawing at the Varcat's eyes. I hesitated, my fingers trembling as I slipped the cuff over my wrist. It magnified my power a hundred fold. I scrambled, working the already powerful winds around me. Klika knew, taking shelter, pinning herself to the ground. But the Varcat did not understand what was happening until it was too late. It had been lifted off the ground, hissing furiously. I willed the wind to shove the Varcat into the stormy ocean. It disappeared beneath the surface suddenly, most likely dragged downwards by some hungry creature. I took the cuff off, not wanting to have it on longer than it needed to be. Klika bore a few shallow wounds from the Varcat's claws, and Queenie seemed fine.

"What was that?" Queenie asked.

"A Varcat. A guardian. The ebony towers-"

"Mairen, that was not a Varcat." Queenie paused, giving her words time to sink in. "When have you ever seen a Varcat that big?"

"I just thought it was because it was a guardian." I responded. I knew what she was thinking. And it was bad. If that Varcat was here...

"If that thing was here, then so was another sorcerer. Someone with control over darkness."

"Finn." I whispered under my breath. This was not good.