"Bitch!" His scowl creased his face like a bolt of lightning.
"Save your breath!"
"How far?"
She peered ahead, eyes squinting through the mist which seemed to thicken around the walls. Thin curls of mist were hovering around some of the rocks and boulders, making any guess of the distance uncertain. But she reckoned they were close.
"Not far," she decided. "Few minutes."
"And how close," his breath came in jagged gasps. "Are they?"
"Not far," she said. A curtain of mist loomed in front of her nose. She was struck by its resemblance to a spider's web. But pushed her fears aside. It was just mist, she told herself. It was just going to feel wet and cold. That's all. She forced a grin. "Few minutes."
"Shit."
The grin left her face as she entered the mist. Wisps chilled her skin and she sucked a gasp as the acrid stink made her skid to a panicked stop. Settling into a defensive stance, she jerked the blade sharply in front of her face to guard against any sudden attack.
An attack which didn't come, but which the elf could swear she could taste like a vibration in the air. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled.
The warlock stumbled, nearly bumping into her. "What now?" he moaned.
"Can't you smell it?" she hissed.
"Smell what?"
"Magic!"
"Is it?" He lifted his head. Sweat gleamed like a second skin across his face. His nose had turned pink. He brushed her aside with a snort and continued forward. "Nothing. Just a harmless enchantment which stops the fog from dissipating. Whoever put it here liked a misty home, maybe."
"I don't like it," she scowled. "Something doesn't smell right."
"Then hold your fucking breath." He took a few steps, shuddering visibly as another howl ripped through the air. Glanced at her. "You coming? Or staying here?"
Diving further into the mist with a growl, she felt it drift around her like a wave of spirits reaching for her face. Though they had no power to hold her, they still ignited ominous shivers between her shoulders.
And the smell of magic was so bitter it threatened to scorch her nostrils and make her brain bleed.
Looming out of the frost-dusted boulders, the old fortress looked like the collapsed bones of an ancient beast. The walls, while crumpled, were still mostly intact.
They'd have a hard time climbing them if it came to that, so Nysta hoped the fortress gates weren't as closed as they looked.
Deep vertical gouges ran up the black stone as though something enormous had scraped its way skyward from below. Not claw marks exactly, but raw uneven wounds that raked the outer wall and left scrappy mounds of rubble below.
She couldn't think of any beast capable of clawing the stone like that. Frowning, she wondered what kind of horrors the war had delivered.
At its base, a wide fracture split the earth into an empty moat. Not wide enough to serve any real defensive purpose. It was also far too smooth. It rings the base of the fortress as though the structure had been wrenched from the ground rather than built upon it.
She didn't linger.
She leapt the crack with ease, but her gaze flicked back to the walls above. Something didn't seem right. It nagged at her.
Her eyes narrowed as the elf felt a chill slice up from the depths of both the eerie hole in the ground and the frozen ball of fear in her gut.
Scuttling towards the massive gates, she was surprised to find them made of solid metal. Creasing her brow, Nysta scratched at the palm of her hand and pressed her hand against the rusted surface. She didn't think the old iron smell was just from them, though.
Broken bones were crushed hard into the ground all around gates. A lot of blood, then, had been spilled here. Maybe it had left traces of its metallic stink in the soil.
The Gates themselves had long since twisted off their massive hinges, but still remained firmly in place. At first there seemed no way through. But then she noticed where the gates met, the ancient metal had been warped by relentless force. It wasn't much, but there was a small gap.
She eyed the gap, then lanced at the warlock, who lifted an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? You know I can't fit in there…"
"Ain't seen you eating any honey, 'lock, so I figure you'll fit if you try hard enough."
The warlock winced, but then sighed. He knew as much as she did that there was no other choice. Fueled by desperation to escape the Draug, the warlock's teeth chattered in fear. His robe tore on a sharp edge of metal as he tried to push himself through.
A curse blew out through his lips, but he still kept trying to shove himself inside. Irritated, she raised her boot and stamped on his ass to push him inside. Ignoring his startled cry, she threw a glance over her shoulder.
Saw the Draug had stopped just outside the curtain of mist. Like they were being held back by an invisible barrier. Her eyes slitted as she watched some claw at the ground in frustration.
Others paced the edge like prowling cats. Their mournful howls were channeled in her direction.
Fear rippled across her flesh like a wave of insects. Snatching the warlock's robe, she made to pull him back out. But he wriggled loose and rolled out the other side, leaving her grasping at air.
Letting out a yelp of triumph, he stuck his face back through the gap between the gates. Shoved his hand out for her to grasp, intending to help her through.
"What are you waiting for?" he cried. "Get the fuck in here!"
"They're not following," she breathed, not taking his offered hand. Her violet eyes flashed as a dull noise rumbled deep below their feet.
Like something moving.
Something big.
"What?" he yelled, his voice sounded hollow.
"I said they're not following us anymore!" She shouted back. "They're just standing there!"
"So? That's good enough for me!"
"You don't understand. They're fucking dead!"
"And I, for one, am fucking glad they are! Just wish they'd stay that way!"
"You stupid fucking spellslinger!" She tried to grab him again. Drag him back outside as the grinding sound deep below grew louder than thunder. The tearing sound bubbled under the earth and echoed across the shivering cliffs. Whatever was happening, it wasn't going to be good. "Can't you hear that? They're too fucking afraid to come in here! What the fuck would scare a Draug?"
He paused, turning slowly toward the inside of the fortress. Then back at her. Eyes wide and sparking bright with fear. The ground quaked and the heavy gates moaned under the shifting pressures. "Umm, Nysta? I think we should get out of here."
"Oh, you think?" She put one hand on her hip. Sarcasm dripped like acid. "Any more wisdom, oh great fucking one?"
"There's something here." His face paled. "Shit. Why didn't I see it before? It's bad. Oh, Nysta, it's fucking bad."
"I told you there was something here," she growled. "You said it was a simple fucking enchantment."
"I was wrong!" He scrambled towards the gap again, trying to squeeze back out. But the angle made it too hard to slide through. He wriggled, stretching out to her. "Help me! I'm fucking stuck!"
"Oh," she growled, feeling the earth shake under her feet. "Pooh."
***
Hi Peeps, I'm going to start uploading these first on my Patreon in future, so there might be a slight delay while I get things lined up. I know it's asking a lot, but if you're enjoying the story, please consider supporting me. I'm just about to start fulltime work again, and may have to get a second job to make it through.
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Finally, the first Nysta book, Revenge of the Elf, in its completely edited version is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFDR15R3
I have two other books on Amazon, The Nekomancer (A grimdark little LitRPG with catgirls!) and The Satanic Brides of Dracula (gaslamp gothic dark fantasy!).
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