Cracked

Renat had been afraid that the two beasts had seen them, but the warning had been unnecessary. The two monsters were to focused on destroying the other to worry about the puny people.

With a mighty push, the larger creature, with silvery-blue scales and wings like a skylark, sent the other monster crashing into the ground. Like in one of Renat's explosions, the ground split and flew in every direction.

Though massive, the flying serpent was quick and agile. The well-timed hit had thrown its opponent off balance and into the dirt. When the cloud of silt settled, the humans could see the second creature was back on its feet.

All six of them. 

The serpent's opponent had the head of a lion with the body and mandibles of an insect. Where a tale could have been, a sharp point like that of a bee jutted out menacingly toward anything foolish enough to come up behind. 

The jointed legs were able to bend at every sort of angle, making knocking down the monstrous ant nearly impossible. The serpent had only managed it with great skill. 

As long as the scaly creature continued its frenzy from the air, the ant could only dodge and defend. It was biding its time while using its front two legs to rip at the feathers and scales during each catastrophic strike. 

"I don't see how the ant can do anything with the snake being so quick," Alaron said quietly to the Fate. 

"Just watch, the serpent has no chance of success. He just doesn't know it yet." Hanna folded her hands in front of her, saddened by the bloodshed before her.

Alaron scoffed at the claim. "The ground has only one plain while the air has every direction imaginable to claim. How in the world can the ant possibly..."

The Guardian stopped mid-sentence as he watched in horror.

The serpent dove down to bite the ant on its back, but the insect predicted the move. Like a sprung trap, the lion's head turned around and clamped on the serpent's neck with its mandibles. 

The sharp edges tore into the shining blue scales like shears cutting through cloth. Jerking its head to one side, the ant threw the serpent's head into the forest behind the onlookers. Then its front arms coiled up the broken body and added it to the rest of the dead. 

The battle was over. 

When the ant turned around, there were no more creatures for him to squash like bugs. The humans and their companions had fled.

Back in the trench, The royals and the three elves tried to make sense of what they had just seen. 

"That thing killed the biggest creature that I have ever seen." Uri rubbed his eyes as if he could not comprehend what he had just seen. "It's only half the hydra's size, but it can take down creatures in the air like they are flies." 

"What is that beast?" Mairwen asked Hanna. She was too stunned to think about much else.

"What else could it be? It's a Myrmecoleon." Hanna lowered her voice as she spoke. Was she afraid that saying its name would attract its attention? 

"It cannot be!" Uri protested. "Those are not real!" 

"Wait, didn't you mention them back when we were stuck in the basket? You told me not to fear the flying panther because Myrmecoleon's were much worse." 

"They are in elven bedtime stories. I never actually thought they existed." Uri defended himself. 

"They are creatures of old," Hanna explained. "I haven't seen one since before the barrier was made. I assumed they were extinct. They are worse than Griffins or Speaves when it comes to being territorial, so no one is getting under the Mystic Spires until the Myrmecoleon is dead." 

"That means that to save the Fates, we have to get rid of the thing which none of the other monsters of the land of magic have been able to kill." Alaron buried his face in his hand. 

"I don't understand why they are all here anyway." Renat chewed his lip. It was a mystery that was gnawing at him, but he was unable to solve it.

"This is where the magic flows from. The Maker himself put the Spires in the sky. The ground underneath is...special. Creatures often come, but we were always able to chase them away. Without the Fates or Dew Mountain to protect the place, the strongest can claim it for their own. For now, that is the Myrmecoleon." Hanna's colorless eyes looked dim. Her kin were so close and yet so far away. 

It was maddening. 

Mairwen seemed to read her thoughts. "We will figure out how to get to them. Does the creature have any weaknesses? Is there anything it doesn't like?" 

"The other Fates would know more. I cannot access their knowledge. I have only seen a Myrmecoleon a few times because they like to live under the surface and eat dirt. You notice it is not feasting on anything it kills. I almost wish it would. That would help the smell." Hanna had not covered her face, but she had ceased breathing through her nose since she arrived. 

The Fate thought for a moment. 

"The weakest spot would be just below its skull. The neck is wide but soft like that of a lion before joining with the insect's carapace. It is getting to that spot which would be tricky. The point on its back end is deadly and the Myrmecoleon can bend its spine to curl in both directions. There isn't a safe spot."

"That is a problem," Renat furrowed his brow. 

"One you can overcome, I hope?" Mairwen would have loved to contribute to the situation, but her mind was muddled by the stench and an incoming headache. 

The scientist rubbed the back of his neck. "I am not sure. There is a lot to consider. I will need time." 

"We have precious little of that left, I am afraid." Hanna wrung her hands. Her gloves were beginning to wear small holes in them from how often she had done the action. "Justum managed to drop a message from the Spires. We were barely able to retrieve it without being spotted. The news up there is not good." 

They looked around the trench. Short tents were set up where the last bits of snow were cleared. Quickly, Hanna ducked into one of these and came out with a slip of paper. Her face was tense.

Alaron steeled himself as he took the paper in his hands. "Well, that's not good."

He passed it to the prince and princess. They too, were discouraged by the news but tried not to let it show on their faces. Last to read were Eira and the elves. 

"Not good is an understatement," Nath added after rereading the words. 

Based on the note, the Fates were alive, but many had used up their magical reserves. Since using magic had been as natural as breathing since the beginning of time, they had struggled and failed to conserve their energy. Some were on the brink of death from physical exhaustion.

Their magically preserved food was quickly rotting, leaving only bread and a small amount of dried fruit for all of the Fates to eat. Starvation would soon set upon the ethereal beings. 

But that was not the worst part. 

The last Fate to visit the cistern at the mouth of the waterfall had noticed a very serious problem. She had come in hopes of finding any sign that the water might once again flow. Instead, the lady found only heartache. 

The pristine marble which had contained the magical pool for generations upon generations... The bowl where all magical water began its journey... The unbreakable foundation which had withstood countless trials and tribulations...

That stone had a crack.