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As more and more beasts, attracted by the magic, now crawled, slithered and stumbled into the park, the Lady glanced back at the safety of the door to the tower. She knew their magic wouldn't be strong enough to kill so many beasts. She smiled grimly at Ferol, watching as he unleashed his magic at the nearest beast, an elephant-size thing with the monstrous head of a spider and the body of an eight-legged tiger. Ferol's magic halted the beast momentarily, but his magic had little effect on it. The beast merely shook its head. Screeching like a wild goose, it crawled nearer to the Special.
The Lady was almost caught herself, when one of the snake beasts reared its head and shot poisonous phlegm at her. Instantly she floated to one side, at the same time shooting ball magic up at the snake beast's head. With a loud hiss, that halted several of the beasts behind it, its head was ripped from its body.
Now the Lady floated to stand beside Ferol, both blasting their most powerful magic up at the beasts.
The Lady could sense more and more beasts entering the park.
****
The tunnel seemed to stretch forever and the overpowering smell was getting stronger.
As they neared the brighter end of the tunnel, Maeve turned. “Now we should be cautious... you should be cautious. Elf girl, you're on your own now.” The old woman turned. “The magic will not allow even me to go any further with you. I don't know what or who guards the amulet, but to have its magic, you will have to overcome them. ”
“Them?” gulped Feverfew, staring into Maeve's glowing eyes.
“Oh, girl, there will be more than one guardian. Now stop dawdling and go forward.”
Forward, thought Feverfew, staring at the end of the tunnel. More than one guardian? She turned to ask advice from Maeve, but suddenly realized. The old woman was gone.
****
Meanwhile, the Lady and Ferol, still keeping the beasts at bay, had backed further towards the tower door. Already the Lady could feel the agonizing pain of the wards in her head.
Ferol too was grunting with the effort of shooting his magic at the beasts and trying to ignore the pain.
Just then, an agile bull beast, with wide lance-sharp horns, leapt right at the Lady. As she fell on her back she tried to save herself by balling blue magic up at the beast's face.
With a warning cry Ferol turned to help her.
But just then, another beast, that was as tall as a giraffe with its black skin covered in thorns, attacked him.
****
Feverfew walked slowly into the light. All around the hall, that was about the size of a cricket pitch, stood stone statues of different sizes. All of them looked grotesque. Some of the statues had arms broken off and lay among the rubble on the smooth marble floor. At the far side, a flash caught her eye. She could see a table there that seemed to be made from a solid block of granite. Something shining sat in the middle of it.
“The amulet,” she gasped. She looked around. There seemed to be nobody, or anything else in the hall. Hesitantly, she took a step towards the table, then suddenly stopped. Something warned her... my magic, she thought, her breathing quickening as the soft hum echoed all around her. She stood stock still, listening. She could hear a hissing noise. It was coming from the darker part of the hall to her right. And then something moved into sight. It was just at that moment she went blind.
****
The magic that flashed around the park took beasts, Ferol and the Lady by surprise. The Lady gaped as the beasts were just blown apart by a magic so powerful the thud of it had Ferol passing out.
“Thought I'd give you a hand,” said a familiar voice. “Won't you come in?”
****
Around the same time, General Baldo was roaring instructions to his personal guard. The rest of his army were fighting for their lives further back in the broader streets. But it was the undead that now appeared from several side streets that made his blood run cold. He knew they couldn't be killed. They had to be hacked to pieces to stop them. That would take time. He glanced at his guards. Some of them had gone pale, their eyes wide with horror and fear.
“Attack!” roared Baldo, leaping at the two nearest undead. His sword cleaved the head of one and it fell to the ground. The other, a woman, though armless, when Baldo hacked off its arms, still came at him. With a scream, he leapt into the air and brought his sword right down through the undead woman's head. With a silent grunt it collapsed to the ground. But three more now attacked Baldo. In seconds the General and his guards were surrounded, fighting for their lives. Baldo turned to his right, when he saw one of his men, crying out, as he fell beneath several undead, their open mouths already tearing at the guard's body.
Screaming an ancient battle cry, Baldo leapt to save the soldier, but he could see he was too late. Blood was spurting from the soldier's neck. The sight of the unfortunate soldier seemed to drive the General mad. Screaming like a wild animal, he hacked and tore at the milling undead as they came on.
****
Meanwhile, Batach, followed now by the monsters, was moving quickly into the city proper. Some of the monsters stood over eight feet tall and were covered in hair and had sharp protruding bones, ripped into those soldiers unfortunate to be near enough.
Batach smiled. He was enjoying the slaughter. Treading on some of the dead elves he made his way towards where Baldo and his guards were fighting off the undead.
****
Around that time, the Medusa, with its hissing head of poisonous snakes writhing all over its face, moved quickly to attack the blind Feverfew.
****
“Grandfather,” exclaimed the Lady, as she watched Mangus slam the door in the face of one of the attacking beasts.
Mangus held out his arms to hug her. In a moment the Lady was within the safety of her grandfather's chest.
Ferol watched until they parted. Then he said, “Where's Feverfew?”
Mangus stared at him. “She's gone far below the Keep. That's where the amulet you seek is,” he said, smiling and turning to Margrit. He was about to say something else, when magic shot from Ferol up the stairs. In a second Ferol had disappeared up them.
The Lady stared up the dark stairs then turned to her grandfather. “Will she be all right?” she asked.
Mangus took her hand. Leading his granddaughter upstairs he said quietly, “If she has the powerful magic I believe she has, yes.”
****
Baldo looked around. He could see several of his guards were down. One of them lay to his right dying, as an undead tore him to pieces. The General tried to reach him, but he knew he would be too late. He was proud of his guards and knew if he died here with them they would all have had an honorable death. Swinging around as he felt cold hands on the back of his neck, he cut the head of the undead. But Soon Baldo and his soldiers were being driven into the middle of a wide square. Baldo assessed their chances. He knew it wouldn't be long before they would be overcome.
****
Although blind, Feverfew's magic sensed the attack. Instinctively she pulled to one side, her magic ripping at the Medusa's head. The heads of several of its poisonous snakes were blasted apart. Crying with fear and pain, the Medusa tried to get at Feverfew. It was too late and not powerful enough. Magic cut through its body, ripping its heart out. With a scream the Medusa fell to the ground. As it died, the remaining writhing snakes died as well. Then the Medusa disappeared.
And it was then Feverfew's vision cleared. She looked around. The hall was still and quiet again. She wondered what had happened, but knew her magic had somehow saved her. Now she looked at the glowing amulet lying on the table. She walked towards it. She was about two meters from the table, studying the glowing Tarsis Amulet, when she heard a croaking voice.
“You won't have it.”
With a gasp she turned.
****
Meanwhile, Ferol's magic was leading him far below the Keep and down the tunnels in the direction, he sensed magically, that Feverfew had gone.
He wondered was she all right?
****
The General gasped, when he saw two more of his soldiers fall. At the same time he trembled when he saw hundreds more of the undead stumble into the square.