He let the magic flow out of him and felt the familiar hot wind blowing through him. His inner reservoir of magic churned as always, like the inner workings of a blacksmith’s forge, incredibly powerful but also dangerous. He had done a fairly good job of building a magical barrier around the source of his power so that while he could feel it at work, he could also feel that it was affecting him physically to a much smaller degree than before. He had a wall of defense against others, and now he had a wall of containment to protect himself.
The magic moved out of him like a mist, rolling through the mountains. It was like a sixth sense, allowing him to feel the presence of other beings. He felt small animals and a young elk that was moving slowly through the mountains. Then he came across something strange. It was unlike any animal he had ever seen or heard of. He felt the beast waking up, as if from a long sleep. Then the animal roared, and the sound was like a cross between a hawk’s piercing cry and a bull’s bellow.
“What was that?” Brianna asked.
“I’m not sure,” Zollin said. “I sensed it; in fact, I may have woken it up. But it was weird.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it was like several different animals put together. It had legs like a ram, with hoofs. The body was thick, much bigger than a goat or even an elk. It had a head that was like an eagle, with a sharp beak. And its tail was long and thick.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m completely serious. I don’t think we should hang out here any longer than we have to.”
“Okay, so where do we go?”
“Southwest, away from that creature.”
Zollin used his magic to lower them down the mountainside. Then they spent several hours hiking through a long canyon. They stopped to rest and eat around noon. The sun was finally high enough to shine directly down on them. Although they were warm from their long hike, the sun still felt good. Zollin reached out with his magic again before they set out. The creature he had felt earlier was closer than before.
“What is it?” Brianna asked. She had been watching Zollin and saw his face go white.
“That creature is following us.”
“What do we do?”
“I don’t know. It may not be wild. Rup didn’t try to hurt us.”
“Can we really take that chance?”
“I guess there’s only one way to find out. You take cover, higher up on the mountain. I’ll stay here and wait for it. I should be able to protect myself well enough and, if it attacks, you can shoot it.”
They spent the next few minutes trying to find a place where Brianna could keep an eye on the canyon but stay hidden herself. They identified a suitable rocky outcropping, and Zollin levitated her there. There wasn’t much room, and the sleet from the day before had not fully melted behind the rocks, leaving the perch slippery and uncomfortable.
Zollin waited, sipping water from his canteen. He could feel his magic churning; it was agitated by his worry. The creature he had felt reminded him of the dragon. Both creatures radiated a type of magic that was foreign to Zollin. The dragon wasn’t a magic user and although it seemed almost invincible, it wasn’t immune to his power. He only hoped the creature approaching him was the same.
The roots of the mountains were jagged and steep. There were no trails, no passes through the Northern Range. The valleys between the mountains were steep canyons, filled with rocky debris. Just walking through the canyons was difficult and dangerous. Zollin let his magic flow out again. He knew that if the creature could feel his magic he was essentially giving his position away. Still, he didn’t like waiting. He was impatient and he didn’t want to be caught off guard.
The levy he had built around his magic seemed to channel his power and give it more potency. He felt stronger than ever. He could use his magic without being stricken with physical weakness. He let the power build, and as his senses spread along the canyon he felt as if he were growing larger. He felt Brianna, like a raging bonfire on the mountainside, which surprised him. She wasn’t wearing the white alzerstone ring anymore, and he thought that perhaps he just wasn’t used to sensing her with his magic. Still, the more he thought about it he realized he’d never sensed such tangible power in anyone else. He chalked it up to the magical bow, which he assumed was radiating a sense of magical power. He could sense her worry, but also her sense of resolve. She had no intentions of losing him again.
Then he felt the creature. It was close. Just around a bend in the canyon and out of his sight. Unlike Brianna he couldn’t sense the creature’s intentions. He waited as the minutes slowly crept by. He would have thought that the creature had no intention of getting any closer, but it had gotten closer throughout the day. Perhaps it was more afraid of him than he was of it. In fact, he had no reason to fear the beast, but there was something so unnatural about it that he couldn’t help but feel that it posed a danger.
Suddenly the creature was moving, rushing toward him. Zollin saw the beast, running sure-footed across the canyon floor so fast it was a blur. He barely had time to raise a shield around himself before the creature’s thick tail whipped around and struck him. The tail didn’t pass his shield, but the blow knocked Zollin off his feet and the creature raced by. Zollin was bruised from falling onto the rocky ground. He felt as if he had been pushed by a much larger man, shoved unexpectedly and knocked back. He scrambled to his feet, wishing he still had his staff. The creature roared, and the sound echoed off the mountainsides until it was almost too loud to bear. Zollin was busy holding his hands over his ears, and he almost got caught by the beast, but he dove to the side and felt the wind swoosh by as the tail whipped past him. He didn’t hesitate but gave the creature a magical shove of his own. It toppled onto its side and Zollin jumped up, pressing his magic down on the creature to hold it in place. But the beast was too powerful and bucked him off, then scrambled away.
Brianna was frustrated by the creature’s speed. It simply didn’t stay still long enough for her to have a shot. The beast sprinted forward again, but this time Zollin sent a bolt of sizzling blue energy crackling toward the beast. It saw the attack and veered up the side of the mountain. It seemed to dance across the almost vertical cliff face effortlessly and was soon out of range. Zollin readied himself for the next attack, but Brianna was ready, too. She anticipated the creature’s charge and, as soon as she saw it move out of her peripheral vision, she fired her arrow. It arced down and slammed into the creature’s rear leg, causing the beast to stumble and slide through the rocks toward Zollin.
Zollin felt a twinge of magic when the arrow was fired, but all of his concentration was on the creature. As soon as the beast stumbled from Brianna’s arrow, Zollin pounced. He used his magic to hold down the tail that was swinging wildly in all directions. He held it down as the creature struggled to rise. It was hissing like a snake, its hoofed forelegs scrabbling among the loose rocks in an effort to rise.
“Stay down!” Zollin shouted.
It had been a verbal expression of his will. He had not intended to say it out loud, it was merely what he was thinking as he worked to hold the thick, knobby tail in place. But the creature responded instantly. It became still, the hissing stopped, the tail laying down on the canyon floor.
Zollin was sure that it was some kind of trick. The creature had heard him, had understood him even, which was a surprise. He didn’t trust it, but he had to try and communicate with it.
“What are you?” he asked.
“I am an Aberration,” the creature said. It’s voice was high pitched and loud. It was hard to understand.
“A what?”
“An Aberration. A magical freak. Don’t pretend not to know me, wizard.”
Zollin was shocked. Magical creatures seemed drawn to him. They often knew he was a wizard and some even implied that his presence had an effect on them, but he was still shocked.