“I still think he should have let me bring Nightfang.” Naiela complained for at least the third time.

  “Uhuh.” Triss replied, only half listening to the other wizard’s complaints. Naiela had come up with a dozen problems with Reginald’s plan so far, mostly revolving around his refusal to allow them to take the horses.

  “They’ll likely be frightened by the demon.” He’d said. “And you won’t be able to control them. It’s best you leave them here so you don’t get thrown or go the wrong way.”

  Naiela had insisted that Triss accompany her, for reasons Triss still hadn’t figured out. Reginald had agreed, and made her come along. The sun was setting by the time they left him, his ritual circle nearly complete. Now nearly half an hour of walking later, they still hadn’t found this demon. Triss was beginning to wonder if Reginald had seen something else and let his imagination run away from him. “Nightfang is a trained horse. He wouldn’t be scared of a demon. Especially since it’s not real.” Naiela continued.

  “Uhuh.” Triss replied again.

  “He’s a proper mount. Suitable for a wizard. Not like that silly mare you ride.”

  “Buttercup is a nice horse.” Triss replied. The last vestiges of glowing light burned against the far mountains, and it was becoming difficult to see the road. She was starting to get worried, not just about demons but about other potential creatures. Visions of wolves and bears danced in her mind, and she kept looking around nervously.

  Naiela scoffed. “Nice. Fine, she is a nice horse. But she’s nothing compared to Nightfang.”

  “Do you think maybe you could try to be a little quieter?” Triss asked. “I really don’t want to draw like, wolves or something out.”

  “Wolves?” Naiela asked. Then her face split in a grin. “You don’t believe there’s a demon out here either.”

  “I didn’t say that.” Triss said defensively. “I just don’t want to get attacked by like wolves or bears or any other stupid creatures.”

  “Hah! I knew he was imagining things.” Naiela said triumphantly. “Even you don’t believe him.”

  “It’s not that I don’t believe him. It’s just, well, we’ve been walking a while and haven’t seen anything. Maybe it went away? You said the summonings don’t last long.”

  “Or maybe it was never here?” Naiela said.

  “Whatever. Let’s just be quieter. I’m getting creeped out.”

  “By what?” Naiela asked. She gestured all around them at the empty woods and road. “There’s nothing here. I don’t hear any wolves, do you?”

  Triss stopped suddenly. Naiela turned to face her. “I don’t hear anything.” Triss whispered. Naiela frowned, then slowly turned in a circle, examining the area.

  “I don’t see anything.” She said quietly.

  Triss stared hard at the road ahead, searching for anything out of the ordinary. The light was too dim to see clearly, and all she could see besides the empty road were the dark shapes of tall trees swaying gently in the breeze. A cold chill washed through her, and the hairs on her arms stood as she realized that the air was completely still. She grabbed onto Naiela’s wrist and began pulling the other wizard back, still staring at the dark shapes ahead. “What are you doing?” Naiela hissed.

  “There’s something moving ahead.” Triss whispered. “In the trees.”

  Naiela spent a few seconds looking before replying. “It’s just the trees moving in the wind.”

  “What wind?”

  Naiela frowned again, tilting her head and staring at the distant trees. “I think.” She said after a minute. “That we should go back and tell Reginald that we couldn’t find it. Maybe we could try again in the morning?”

  “I think that’s the best idea you’ve ever had.” Triss replied. The two woman began to slowly walk backwards, keeping the moving trees in sight. They made it about a hundred yards before Naiela laughed softly.

  “I can’t believe you got scared by the wind.”

  “You’re not scared?” Naiela shook her head in reply. “Did you want to keep going then?” Triss asked hesitantly.

  “What? No, no. I’m not going any further. I don’t have my wand, and there’s at least Barrowhulks around. I think it would be safer to travel in the daylight.” She nodded to herself. “Yes, its common knowledge that travelling at night isn’t safe. Best to come back in the daylight.” Triss almost called her out on that. Like hell she wasn’t scared. But arguing would probably make Naiela decide to go forward to prove she wasn’t scared. Triss would let her have her bravado, if it meant she got to go back to Reginald. She turned away the from moving trees and began to run, Naiela keeping pace alongside her. They ran for at least five minutes before slowing to a walk. Nothing pursued them, and Triss’s fear began to subside.

  “We’ll try again in the morning.” Triss said.

  “Yes. When there’s light to see so we don’t break our legs or something.” Naiela said. They made it another twenty paces when a bright light suddenly exploded into being in front of them. Triss and Naiela shielded their eyes from the sudden brightness.

  “Going so soon?” A horribly deep and gravelly voice boomed, so loudly it hurt Triss’s ears. “Where’s the other one? The draconic?”

  Triss lowered her hand, her eyes adjusting to the light. A nightmare stood before them, blocking the road with a sword the size of Buttercup made of bright orange roiling flames. The demon holding it was bigger and uglier than Triss could have imagined. Black-furred goat like legs connected to a bright red torso covered in thick slabs of muscle. Two arms jutted out where the rib cage started, and two more at the shoulder. Thick black spikes jutted out in a row on along each arm, travelling up and over the shoulders and around the back of the creature’s head. The row of spikes grew closer and thicker as the reached the top of the demon’s head, creating two long horns formed from overlapping spikes. The demon’s eyes blazed like back lit rubies in their sockets, and great blasts of steam blew from its pig-like snout with each snorting breath.

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  "Fuck!" Triss exclaimed, stumbling backwards.

  "Ancient gods!" Naiela cursed as she also scrambled back.

  "Ancient gods?" The demon rumbled, a hint of laughter in its words. It leaned forward, closer to the two women. "No gods, ancient or new, will save you. Where is the other?"

  Naiela suddenly snapped her hand forward, bright blue lightning leaping out and arcing against the demon's chest with a loud snapping sound. The demon rumbled a deep, sinister laugh.

  "Your weak magics cannot harm me, foolish apprentice." It stood tall, hefting the sword with its two lower arms.

  "Run!" Triss screamed, turning and moving as fast as her legs would carry her. She only made it a half dozen steps before a blast of heat and rocks struck her in the back, sending her tumbling forward. Pain coursed through her arms and back, and she screamed.

  "Up!" Naiela was suddenly there, grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet. She spared a glance back, seeing the demon raising his sword for another strike. There was a large hole in the road between them, the edges of the dirt blackened and scorched from the demon's flaming blade. "This way!" Naiela pulled her forward and to the side, towards the trees. They'd just passed the first few trunks when the blade slammed into the ground several paces behind. Waves of burning heat flowed towards them, but they managed to keep their balance. Naiela turned to run directly away from the road, through tall trees and thorny bushes. Triss was cut several times on their mad dash, and would have tripped twice if not for Naiela's support.

  Trees groaned and cracked as the demon followed them, pushing aside trees as though they were thin branches. A tall pine-like tree snapped at its base, crashing down towards them and slamming into the ground with an explosion of needles and snapped branches.

  "Oh, wizards." The demon called. "Come out and play." A deep gutteral laughter echoed out over the trees.

  Naiela turned suddenly, running parallel to the road. "This way!" She hissed. Triss followed, not having a choice with the way Naiela gripped her arm. Bright orange light flashed through the trees as the demon swung his sword, slicing huge tree trunks like twigs and spraying bits of burning branches in a cloud. "Let's go!" Naiela shrieked, still running.

  Naiela finally dropped Triss's arm as they ran, dodging around trees and leaping over bushes. Thunderous cracking sounds filled the air as the demon pushed through the trees, carving a path of fiery destruction through the forest. Naiela began to angle their path back towards the road, and Triss nearly lost her in the dense woods. They burst out of the trees and began tearing down the road, heading towards where they had left Reginald. Triss glance back, hoping they had lost the demon. She was dismayed to see the baleful red glare of the demon staring at her over the tree tops.

  "Can't get away that easy!" The demon called in a mocking tone. More trees collapsed as he pushed his way out of the forest and onto the road.

  "Run!" Triss screamed.

  "What...do...you... think...I'm...doing!" Naiela screamed back between deep gasps.

  The ground shuddered under their feet as the demon pounded after them, its goat-like hooves digging into the hard packed dirt of the road and sending showers of stone and earth with each step. The wizards’ lead was swiftly being erased as the demon’s long legs ate up ground at a ferocious rate. Triss couldn’t help but keep glancing backwards, watching the horrifying creature grow closer and closer. It raised its flaming sword high in the air as it grew close enough to strike.

  A bright green bar of light suddenly lanced up from the ground, striking the demon right in one of its baleful red eyes. It howled in pain, high and reverberating, and slapped one massive hairy paw over its face. Triss looked to see where the light had come from, and her heart soared with hope when she saw Reginald, standing in the road ahead with his wand pointed at the demon and a dark scowl on his face. Another beam of green light suddenly flashed forward from the end of Reginald’s wand, over Triss’s head and towards the demon behind her. No howl of pain accompanied the blow this time, and Triss glanced over her shoulder, nearly stumbling as she tried to see the demon behind her and run forward at the same time.

  The demon held an arm in front of its face, a glowing green spot just visible under the shadow of its arm spikes. An impossibly deep, chilling chuckle filled the air as the demon lowered its arm and brought its blade up in front of it, orange glow illuminating only half its face and casting the rest in shadow. A grin split its face, sharp teeth reflecting wetly in the flickering light of the sword. “Nice try, draconic.” It boomed. “But ultimately useless.”

  Another green light stabbed at the demon’s eyes, but it caught the beam almost lazily with the blade of its sword. Its smile morphed into a sneer, and it suddenly started running after them again, the earth shuddering under its enormous bulk. “Run!” Reginald screamed, and Triss turned her attention away from the demon to focus on where she was going. Reginald was only a hundred paces from her, and though Naeila was outpacing Triss, she was only a few paces ahead. “Come on!” He screamed again, firing one green light after another over their heads. The demon behind them kept chasing, shaking the road, laughing. Triss’s muscles were on fire, screaming for oxygen. She kept running. Seventy five paces. Fifty paces.

  A flash of white light brighter than the noonday sun suddenly filled the roadway, blinding Triss and causing her to stumble and fall. Her shoulder hit first, tearing a jagged hole in her sleeve and scraping away several layers of skin. Her head bounced off the road, and a new white light exploded inside her head. Her mind was scrambled, but only for a second. The adrenaline that had been driving her was still there, and she knew she had to keep moving. Her vision was still nearly gone, and she couldn’t hear anything but a rushing, ringing noise in her ears. She jumped to her feet and ran, unable to see where she was going but trusting that anywhere was better than standing still and waiting for the demon to hit her with the sword.

  Something heavy struck her, landed on her, bore her to the ground and crushed her under its weight. Triss screamed, twisting and pulling, trying to get away. Something cold, icy, unhuman suddenly pressed against her wrists, gripping them and pushing them into the soft, wet grass. Triss squeezed her eyes shut as she thrashed and screamed again, pulling against the force binding her wrists. She pulled with all her might and suddenly one hand slipped free! Before she could take advantage of it though, something struck her hard in the face, rattling her teeth and dazing her.

  “…cient gods, knock it off!” A voice screamed into her ear, barely heard over the rushing sound filling her head. Triss opened her eyes and saw Naiela sitting on her chest, holding her down and screaming into her face.

  “Ok, ok!” Triss said, trying to understand the situation and failing completely. “Let me up!”

  Naiela gave her a suspicious look for a second before finally climbing off her and offering Triss a hand up. Triss took the offered hand and Naiela pulled her to her feet, then continued to pull her away from where they had been fighting on the ground. Suddenly the rushing noise vanished and the road was plunged into darkness, and Triss realized the sound hadn’t been in her head as she’d thought. “What happened?” She asked Naiela, unable to see the other wizard in the sudden darkness. “Where is the demon?”

  The demon has been sent back to it’s own realm.” Reginald said. An orb of pale orange light suddenly flared to existence in front several of her, illuminating the draconic in its glow. “And what happened, is that Naiela just saved your life.”