Crystal Guardian

26

Aldric spun his head around to see who had screamed, his heart thudding inside of his chest so hard that he almost wondered why no-one else could hear it. How could something have happened so soon? They hadn't even started fighting yet. The battle was still foreboding upon them yet the scream he had heard was one so full of fear and anguish that he thought that the battle had begun without him. It did not take long to decipher what had happened. Haydon was on the floor her arms tied around her daughter for Feliciana had collapsed.

'Someone, help!' screamed Haydon. 'I don't think she's breathing!'

Aldric couldn't move. He looked at Raiden who simply stared. Evie rushed to offer her expertise but looked panicked. K looked like the only person not to be looking in Haydon and Feliciana's direction. She was pointing to the sky.

'They've followed us,' she whispered to Aldric. 'I should have done more damage.' Aldric glanced upwards. The blinking lights of the LendoZiyan ship came into view.

'There's more than one of them,' said Aldric as more lights passed through the sky.

'The Etchagons,' said K.

Aldric knew that if they didn't get a move on then they would all be arrested and the whole trek to Atarikka would be a waste of time. But they couldn't leave Feliciana.

'Come on Aldric. We have to go.'

The order came from Floyd. Raiden and Aldric reluctantly followed on, both unable to draw their eyes away and it was just the beginning.

By the time they had reached December's Place, Aldric was terrified that he was about to embarrassingly faint in front of everyone, but the blackout never came. Floyd was getting very eager and wound up. He shouted down the abandoned corridors, shouted for the Jagophites to come and face him.

'Calm down,' said Raiden who looked almost as wound up as Floyd did, so the remark had little effect. 'We just have to track down Incursio.'

'Yeah,' agreed Aldric. 'We're meant to be infiltrating quietly.'

'Bit late for that,' said Floyd as the first Jagophite scarpered around a corner and headed straight towards them.

'Save your energy,' shouted Raiden as Floyd lunged his sword into its hard scales. The sword scraped across the Jagophite's back, leaving a tiny graze. He tried again as Aldric and Raiden held back and not until his fourth swing was there any blood. The Jagophite roared and snarled as it made attempts to snap at Floyd's arms but it was no use. One final swing and the creature was stone dead. Its killer stood still for a moment, looming over the body not with triumph but with hate and anger.

'We should go to the basement,' Aldric suggested.

'They'll be more of them,' said Raiden solemnly as he drew his sword.

'A lot more,' said Floyd, his gaze drifting away from the dead Jagophite he had left on the floor. 'And they know we're here...what was that?'

A woman's voice floated through the corridor. She flew around the corner, her eyes wet and her hair tangled, dangling across her forehead.

'You went without me!?' Haydon cried with honest disbelief. 'You can't leave without me, no matter what the circumstance!'

Before they could get anywhere, three more Jagophites rounded the corner. One of them approached the oozing body of its brother. It sniffed it, prodded it with its dirty claw. The other two let out high pitched roars as if crying out in pain. Aldric felt a twisted sense of pity for the animals but couldn't relinquish. He held up his sword defensively, his chosen ones by his side, and glared into each and every eye that lay ahead of him. More Jagophites appeared, more and more. What were they waiting for?