Sword Bearer (Return of the Dragons 1)

Raus!

The fire left my mouth. I saw the beast with my third eye. Like some creature of the ocean straight out of my schoolbooks, it hovered there in the room — an octopus, it was called, but they were creatures of the deep sea. This was some invention of a mad wizard or witch, a magical octopus that swam through the air, attacking me with burning tentacles and teeth.

My sword was screaming, unheeded, as I stared at the magical creature, a glowing mass of red body and tentacles.

The beast struck three more blows, rapid-fire, to my head, my shoulders and chest, and I reeled.

Then my sword rose up, unbidden. I shook myself, and the sword spoke again, and this time I listened.

Careful, Anders! Defend yourself! I haven’t fought a Gulk for around a thousand years. Chop at its tentacles, then go for its eye, and finally its heart.

The blade flew through the air. My eyes were still clenched tightly shut and I saw a green glowing blade and my body that was green too, saw the beast glowing red, and other bodies around me that must have been my friends and father.

The Gulk whipped its tentacles, as my blade swung and chopped. And I began to smell a salty chemical odor, some twisted sorcerer’s idea of sea and the deep. The beast splattered everything with red blood that sizzled and burned.

The Gulk jumped on me then, knocking me down. I stabbed upward, and stabbed deeply — the sword sang in triumph in my hands. The creature shrieked in pain, and pulled itself off of me, moving around crazily, drunkenly.

The eye, sang Carolina, we have the eye. The heart is soon to follow. Stand tall, Anders son of Tomas.

I sprang to my feet and opened my eyes.

The Gulk was spinning around wildly, spraying everything with its acrid burning blood. I swung my sword against it. I felt the blow from my head to my toes. The Gulk, for its part, fell to the floor, but continued to writhe, changing colors as it whipped its remaining tentacles blindly around.

Into the very center. Look deeply with your third eye and you will see a point of black light. Strike deeply there, at its heart. It has no mind, except in its owner.

I looked and found the burning black deep inside the red. It blinked at me with malevolence and I heard a voice:

Herr!

I felt a great surge of energy then, hate and confusion, and grabbed the sword tightly in two hands. I brought it down swiftly, and there was a great popping noise, and a scream. I felt myself covered with burning blood, polluted by it.

A few tentacles moved still, and then it was over.

I fell down to a sitting position on the floor. Was it always going to be like this, exhausting myself, falling down in front of friends and family?

But then I saw Kara and Kalle crouched down, gathered around my father. Woltan stood above them, looking down, muttering the words to an incantation.

Kara straightened up. I was about to say something but she put her finger to her lips, came up to me and reached out a hand to help me up.

Say nothing. We mustn’t interfere with Woltan’s spell. Your father is in grave danger.

What’s the mat

ter with him?

He’s unconscious and we fear his mind has been tampered with. We think he has been implanted as well with dark spirits.

Dark faeries?

Kara nodded. An imp, perhaps. Or several.

What can we do?

We must do a complete search of his aura and his body.

She stopped, looking at me in surprise and wrinkling her nose. But you’re covered in that foul creature’s blood. We must wash you off, or it may pollute your essence. As well as doing nothing positive for your skin. Already your aura is strange.

It was true, the blood stung and stank. I wanted to stay with my father, but Kara pulled me out of the room. We came quickly to a fountain, surrounded by cups and bowls. She grabbed a cup and before I could say anything, was pouring water all over me.