Thunder

Eira pushed forward into the darkness, her sword drawn, but at her side under her cloak. They had no clue how well the monsters could see in the dark, but reflecting what little light was in the sky off her blade was a sure way to catch their attention.

Clouds covered the sky, allowing just a hit of the moonlight overhead to peek through and shine down on the valley below. Coming up second in the line, Mairwen held a deadly lacquered bow below her cape with an arrow nocked as she skirted along in the shadows.

Her hood was down, which was a risk. It allowed the pale oval of her face to be seen in the night, but her vision was not inhibited by the folds of her garment. Since the lizards were already closing in on them, it was just a matter of when they would find the humans, not if. She wanted to have the first shot.

The satchel at Mairwen's side impeded her movement as it pressed against her thigh with each step and the strap pulled at her shoulder. She realized too late that she should have given it to her brother to place in his cloak; the princess would just have to adjust her aim accordingly. For an experienced archer like her, it was a small task, but an unwelcome one.

Renat came in third, his eyes scanning diligently as he kept watch of his wife's back. The firelight from inside had ruined all of their night vision momentarily and the scientist worked hard to recover as quickly as possible. He was the least experienced fighter among them, but he could certainly stay alert for danger.

Taking up the rear, Alaron swept silently through the doorway and disappeared into the darkness. His magical cloak was at home with the shadows, and was virtually indistinguishable as he ghosted along the side of the house. He had an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, so his hands stayed empty.

The horses were already shifting nervously in the chilly night air. Normally they would have been sound asleep, with at least one of the steeds snorting here and there to fill the silence. It was well they did not have to wake their mounts, for that would have cost precious time that they did not have. As it was, the loosened saddles, which had not been fully removed in case of a hasty retreat just like this, needed to be retightened to hold their rider.

Eira passed her sword to Renat and quickly got to work. Fortunately the saddles were designed for speedy exits such as this, so not much adjustment was needed. However this was little comfort to the anxious travelers. Except for their feverish noises, the world around them was eerily silent.

Just then, a low rumble of thunder took over the void of sound. Perhaps that was why all the nocturnal creatures were silent, though Mairwen doubted it. The princess looked at the field of winter broad beans that Eliana had planted a stone's throw away from the house. Among the waist high trellises, Mairwen saw something skitter near the ground, stalking towards them. She could feel eyes watching her from the leafy green plants, though she could not get an exact location where the shape began or ended. That made it tricky for her to let her arrow fly.

The last horse was cinched and all four prepared to mount. Eira regained her sword and gave the signal one...two...three. The four riders leapt from the ground in unison and rushed full tilt from the small valley cottage. At first nothing seemed to happen as they made their mad dash.

Their luck, however, was fleeting. From the tall grass and other foliage, six figures popped up around them in a circle like weeds in fertile soil. On two legs, the reptiles chased the horses, the lizards having strange bursts of speed as they ran.

Though the other five were gaining ground, just now only the lizard in front of them concerned those who fled, as he was blocking their path of escape. Deftly, Mairwen shot an arrow right into its upright torso. She timed the beating of her bag against her side so that the shot would ring true.

The lizard barely reacted to the shaft that lodged in its chest, hissing at the oncoming horses in hopes to scare them. Unfortunately, Eira's warhorse was trained to ignore its primal fear and stomped on the reptilian creature with prejudice.

Mowing over the monster, Eira urged the others forward. "Come on, I don't think a little thing like getting trampled will stop him," she said as they left the creature behind in her wake.

Sure enough, the other monsters were not even paying attention to the fallen comrade. Their focus was solely on the humans trying to escape. A crack of lightning lit up the night, bringing with it a new fear.

Mairwen glanced over her shoulder to try and shoot the next closest lizard. In the flash of light she saw not six, but twelve lizards. "They are multiplying!" she screamed.

"We have more problems!" Alaron called in return.

Wondering what he meant, Mairwen shot off two arrows into the limbs of the approaching hoard. This seemed more effective than any other spot, because it slowed their pursuit. Any other hit simply seemed to make them mad.

One of the lizards leapt toward Renat and his horse, its claws bared, ready to slice the man in two. It was the reptile who received the fatal blow, yet somehow survived. The scientist, learning the reach of his blade the last time, swung his razor sharp sword toward the incoming beast. He cleanly sliced though the monster's reaching arms before it could grasp him.

The monster screamed. Losing the momentum of its thrust, the lizard fell to the ground in a pool of fetid blood. There was no moment to breathe. On the other side and behind, Mairwen and Alaron were attacked in similar manners. It was as if these creatures thought they could fly as they leapt fearlessly at the fleeing horses.

Looking at his incoming attacker, Alaron took two small metal stars with sharp protruding edges and spun them into the creature's shoulders. Then in one fluid motion, he pulled out the First King's Sword and cut off the beast's head before it could deliver a deadly bite to the man's face.

"Watch out!" the Guardian called to the princess. He reached into his cloak to grab more shurikens, but was not confident enough in his aim on horseback to risk hitting his sister.

Instead he decided to throw the garlic in hopes the Eliana was right. It slowed the creature momentarily, but was not enough of a deterrent to stop him entirely. The creature recovered quickly. If only they had an endless supply, the garlic bombs might have worked.

With her bow, Mairwen was not prepared for the close quarter attack. She leaned to one side in her saddle, a technique a travelling circus performer had shown her, to avoid the claws of the reptile while remaining in the saddle.

However, the maneuver did not account for the safety of the horse or the weight of the satchel at her side. The monster latched onto her steed, and the horse reared to try and shake off the unwelcome addition. Chaos ensued.

The lizard, realizing its error, dug its claws deeper into the horse's hide. The effort was in vain, for the horse only grew more erratic. The steed fell to one side, rolling over the reptile and Mairwen's leg. Fortunately for the princess, she was already mostly free of the saddle.

The lizard clicked and hissed, its claws ripping at anything it could to get free of the beast of burden. It caught Mairwen's cloak in its grasp.

Trying not to panic, the princess released the clasp of the garment and tried to scurry away on the ground. The foot which had been caught by the falling horse ached, but was not broken. She whimpered. The cloak, no longer restricted, slid free from her shoulders, and out from under her quiver, revealing the satchel beneath it.

So far the princess had not been scratched, but it was only a moment before that would no longer be true. Another lizard was coming for her in a forward lunge.

"Hand!" Alaron screamed, riding up beside her. She immediately lifted her arm and felt Alaron's superhuman strength lift her onto the back of his stallion. Her satchel flew out from her body, hanging in midair for just the slightest moment. But it was long enough. The lunging lizard's jaw snapped at the strap and ripped it like paper.

As Alaron's horse made its hasty retreat, the bag stayed with the creature. Turning around frantically, Mairwen watched in horror as the creature pulled the mirror from her pouch. It was lit.

"We have to go back! The mirror!" Mairwen begged her brother. She clung to his torso, craning her neck to see the fate of her treasure.

"No time for it now. We will have to leave it. Faster!" he screamed at Renat. Seeing his wife be knocked to the ground, the scientist had turned back to help. "More are coming!"

The princess realized both why the lizards had waited to attack and why Alaron's and Eliana's counts did not match. They were not actually multiplying. The seventh monster had gone for reinforcements.

Another crack of lighting struck at a lone, dead tree in front of them. Fire erupted from its trunk, splintering the branches and lighting the ground. The group, seeing the potential problem, turned northwest, stay ahead of the pursuing hoard as much as they could.

The accompanying thunder to the destructive lightning seemed to last forever. Even when it began to fade, it did not die down completely.

Mairwen gasped. It wasn't thunder she was hearing anymore. It was horses.