Pungent

"When I left, there was a...Hydra...below the spires." Uri waited for a reaction from the soldier. She pursed her lips.

"My knowledge on magical creatures is not as extensive as the princess. But I am assuming from your reverent tone that this is very bad." Eira took a deep breath, preparing for the worst.

And it was bad.

"The hydra has heads like a snake. No one knows how many because he is constantly moving and seems to always be growing more." Uri unconsciously wiped his brow. "You cannot cut one off because two will come back in its place. At least that is what I have been told. I didn't try it out. That would have been suicide."

"What did you do then?" Eira had been keeping watch when the original story was told, but even if she had been there, the soldier doubted Uri had been too detailed. Now was the time to get answers.

"I snuck as close as I could. Then I signaled the Fates of my presence and got a wave of a flag in response. Unfortunately, one of the heads caught sight of the fluttering cloth and then caught wind of my scent. The Hydra is not known for having a good sense of smell, you see, but once it knows you are there, you are as good as gone." Uri realized he was being a tad dramatic with his words.

He liked telling stories, but he should stick as close to the facts as he could. 

Eira was watching him calmly, but she was unable to hide the fear in her eyes. "But you aren't gone. What did you do?" 

"I did the only thing I could. I ran for my life. The hydra lumbered after me. I thought I was done for! But just as I got beyond the line of where Dew Mountain should be, the Hydra stopped short. It seemed unwilling to give up its spot of prominence in the Fates' land. It let me leave while it pursued a different trespasser. I fled during the battle." 

"Something else challenged it while you were there?" Eira tried to understand the end of his story. 

"Challenge is a strong word. The creature was half the Hydra's size and had no real way to defend itself. The poor thing was an easy meal. I am thankful for it or I would probably not be here now." Uri sighed. 

"You said you had a way to beat it?" Eira changed the subject before the elf got too far into his reverie. 

Uri blinked a few times before nodding. "Ah, yes, I do. If the Hydra wants to defend the area so badly, then we should come at it from all sides. If you have as many men as you described, then the creature cannot watch us all at once. Someone is bound to get through and be able to stab a soft spot on the creature's back. It is only by stopping the heart that you can truly kill him." 

"But what about those who are acting as the distraction? You said those who are seen are ended." Eira pictured the serpents' heads gobbling up the soldiers without a second thought.

"As long as they are careful and stay light on their feet, it should be alright." Uri shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. It had been specially made for the princess, who was much smaller than he was. Yet, Eira sensed his discomfort came from another source.

"When we get there, we will figure it out. Prince Renat is very clever. I suppose we should give him this information so he can begin forming a plan. It will give him something to do that isn't worrying about the Princess." Eria scanned the terrain to search for any sighting of danger. "Do you want to tell the royals, or should I?"

"I'll do it," Uri pressed his lips together. "It will be easier to answer their questions without a middle person."

The elf saluted the soldier and rode forward. After a polite bow from the back of his horse, Uri began to apprise the royals of the situation.

Mairwen remained asleep against her husband's chest, but the two men listened intently to the scout's words. Ahead, Nath and Lilith inclined their ears to what was being said as well.

"Why did you not tell us this before." Renat tried to remain calm.

"Honestly I was a little nervous that you might think I was exaggerating. It wasn't like we could turn back; your men are up ahead. I did not realize that you might like to make a plan before you arrived. That blame lies completely with me." Uri would not fault them for being upset.

Instead, the two men went quietly to work. Careful not to disturb the princess, they asked as many questions as they could.

"Can it fly?" Alaron adjusted his hood, trying to wrap his mind around all of the logistics. 

"It has two small wings, but I do not think they are feasible for flying. Maybe with one head, it would be possible. But with so many, I do not see how it can do so," Uri reasoned. 

Without magic, the hydra was bound to the same physical rules as everyone else. There was no way the massive creature could maintain any sort of flight without a little help. 

"I am also assuming it cannot breathe fire or poison?" Renat held tight to the reins as he waited for the answer. 

"If it could, then I assume it would have taken me out instead of chasing after me." Uri had no additional information. Elves and hydras had not crossed paths in hundreds of years. Or if they had, the elf hadn't lived to bring back any information. 

"Well, we will swarm it, but only after we have properly distracted it," Alaron decided at last. "I am sure you still have a trick or two to confuse the beast." 

"I might have some things that would be useful," Renat answered with a sly smile. 

The scientist laid out a myriad of ideas of how to stop a many-headed creature. The Guardian listened and added where he could. Some of the suggestions were outlandish and thrown out, but others had some merit.

Uri was astonished by the ingenuity of the humans. The speed with which their ideas flew was staggering. What would elves be able to do if they let their thoughts flow so freely? Or maybe such creativity was only reserved as a gift to humanity. 

Either way, the planning continued for quite some time. A course of action was settled on, although both men admitted they would need to see the beast before making a final decision. In his feverish escape, Uri might have missed something. 

"I didn't get a good look at him, that's for sure. There were too many things going on," the scout admitted. "I knew I was going to have to report back to the king and Queen Mother. I should have done a better job scouting." 

"You did what you could," Renat assured him. "And you let us know that the Fates are still in the Spires. That alone is very helpful." 

"Ah!" Mairwen screamed, jolting in the saddle. She thrashed against Renat, nearly knocking them both from the horse's back. 

Even as the cobwebs of the dream were cleared, the princess still seemed shaken. She buried herself in Renat's chest.

"What's wrong?"

"It was only a dream."

"We are all here! Don't worry!"

The group circled around her trying to figure out what happened.

"The smell! Can you not smell it?" Mairwen gasped as if the world around had gone void of air.

"Smell…" Renat sniffed at the air. It had shifted recently but he realized the subtle change had brought with it a new scent.

Then the wind shifted even more. The smell, which had been faint, was now overwhelming.

Renat resisted the urge to vomit from the pungent odor.

Covering their noses, they all looked at each other with somber expressions.

They knew the smell.

It was the smell of death.