The Mirror Guardian

Chapter Fourty: Embrace For Impact.

The sun was still high up in the sky, illuminating the cave's entrance with many hours to go before it sets as they walked out. Mailee's eyes bore holes into the back of Soren's head as he walked in front of her. After what seemed like an eternity Soren finally opened his mouth.

"You're quiet."

"Just because I'm quiet, does not mean I have nothing to say, in fact, I choose to keep my mouth shut." Mailee stated firmly as she glared harder at his head. Soren kept blinking his eyes so they would get accustomed to the light, but after awhile, it seemed useless.

"Can someone turn the sun off please? The sun light is hurting my head." He complained as he slowly making his way around the lake towards the mansion.

"Don't you have to be stupid somewhere else?" Mailee face palmed showing that she was clearly annoyed.

"Nope, not until tonight," was his smartass reply. Before Mailee could speak she was cut off when some loud leaves shuffling, trees breaking, and growling noises were heard right in front of them. Soren's body was thrown into a tree harshly while Mailee was able to jump out of the way. "Ow," Soren moaned out slowly as he laid there at the base of the tree limped.

"Hello, dearies," someone purred in front of them. Mailee turned to find Hattie--the Iron Witch--standing there, arms crossed and smiling faintly next to a creature. The creature was a medium, unique, quadrupedal reptile with an oval head covered with fleshy protrusions, eight off-white compound eyes, no ears, small slitted nostrils, and a pair of piercing mandibles.

It also has an almost non-existent neck, and its shoulders are pointed. Mailee could see that it has a small, prism-shaped torso. The creature has two long, thick forelegs that end in ten-fingered hands, two short, fragile hind legs and a muscular tail. Mailee expected that its tail was what hit Soren into the tree.

The whole body was covered in armor plating, except its hands, which are bare. She could see that most of its body was a dull blue, while the rest of its body was mahogany and mottled light brown. From the looks by Hattie's height, Mailee want to say the creature was at least 10 feet.

"What the hell is that?" Mailee questioned stunned by the wretched creature.

"That's a Blind Thornfang. They're known for having very dense bones that are difficult to break. They can also survive in temperatures as low as -136 degrees celsius. Why its here in this realm, I do not know. It should be in Mélamar." Soveliss answered as he gave the creature a look over, debating on a plan of action.

Mailee turned back to stare at Hattie and noticed that the witch nolonger bent and gnarled with age. A crown of stars adorned her now black hair, and her skin was also nolonger saggy and speckled, there was a spark in her eyes. However, Mailee blinked--then blinked again at the sight of the woman's teeth. They were now razor-sharp, like a fish's, and made of metal. Of Iron.

Sure enough, when Mailee looked down at the witch's feet, saffron-colored anklets were peeking out from beneath her brown robe.

"I was saving you for last, dearie." Hattie smiled, her teeth glinting in the light as she sniffed at Mailee. "After all the best meal smells of fire and ash to us witches." Mailee's face had drained of color, and Soren was now once again by her side and took her elbow. Mailee still ended up taking a step back with a hand going to the necklace she so far wore from Mira. It was hot. Danger.

"Plan nedir? (What's the plan?)" Soren whispered in Aras to his sister as he kept an eye on the creature.

"Ben cadlyla ugraslrken yarlgln dikkatini dagltmaya hazlr mlslnlz? (Are you up to distracting the creature while I deal with the witch?)" Mailee asked, her awevoice strangled.

"Sanlrlm onunla bitirene kadar yapabilirim, (I think I can until you're finished with her,)" Soren let go of her arm, took a step toward the creature putting a hand on his sword. Mailee slowly pulled out both of her long daggers. Hattie crowed with laughter. Her eyes gleamed, her iron nails clinking together as she stretched out a hand towards the creature.

"Blind Thornfang, you may kill the male, but leave the female to me. Her life force will grant me so much more than any other being." A chill went down Mailee's spine, and it was Soveliss whom tightened his tail around her body in comfort. "I must say, dearie, your scent may have changed a little, but that doesn't change anything."

"I don't know what sort of nonsense you're talking about, witch, but you'd best mind your tongue before you lose it." Mailee grinded her teeth hoping that Soren didn't question her later about it. Hattie licked her razor-sharp teeth.

"Come and get it," she purred. Challenge flashed in Mailee's eyes as the witch used a long, metallic nail to pick out something from her teeth. "Either way you can't hide from your fate," Hattie said before the creature roared and charged at Soren.

"You will die here," Mailee hissed as she charged at Hattie with her two long daggers out to her sides.

"You think steel can hurt me?" Hattie moved as if she was dancing around Mailee's strikes. "Pity, you seem to need more training to fight a witch," The witch hissed. Mailee really didn't like witched and never really fought with one.

So for all Mailee's training, she wasn't fast enough to duck before a heavy chain whipped across the side of her head by Hattie, and she slammed face-first into the dirt.