Red Magic

"What-what happened?" she asked, glancing behind her at Wynter. The centaur waved the undead to a stop.

"I-I don't know," the druid gasped. "But there's something ahead. Something…"

Then Bre

"Darkenbeasts!" Bre

In one fluid motion, Galvin drew his longsword and strode forward. Swinging fiercely at the air in front of him, he co

The beast's talons stretched toward Galvin's eyes, and the Harper bent his arm across his face to shield them. The gesture allowed a pair of darkenbeasts to fly past him toward the sorceress and Wynter.

The enchantress flattened herself against a tu

At the same time, Wynter charged forward. Using his bardiche, he skewered one of the darkenbeasts against the ceiling. A second creature closed on him, its beak sinking into his left shoulder. Dropping his weapon, Wynter reached out with his bare hands to capture his arcane attacker, bashing the beast's head against the mine wall. The centaur continued beating the creature until it ceased to move.

Finished with her incantation, Bre

The Harpers and Bre

The darkenbeasts' beaks and claws were wasted on the skeletons, who latched onto the creatures and began pulling at their leathery limbs until no life remained in Maligor's constructs.

At the forefront of the struggle, Galvin continued to slice through the darkenbeasts, suffering numerous minor injuries and scratches in the process. Behind him, he saw Wynter catch one of the loathsome creatures and hurl it to the shaft floor, trampling it beneath his hooves.

In the dark tu

Edging backward in the shaft, closer to the centaur, Galvin split the nearest darkenbeast nearly in two with his sword, then ducked and pulled his longsword free as another creature dove at him. The centaur reached above the druid's head, smashing his large fist into the creature's side and sending it careening wildly against the shaft wall. It crumpled and flapped feebly, trying to rise.

"Head for the crosscut!" Galvin shouted, barely able to be heard above the sounds of the darkenbeasts' wings and the skeletons' clanking bones. "Hurry!"

Bre

"How many are there?" the enchantress whispered, staring wide-eyed at the cloud of darkenbeasts.

"Hundreds," the centaur guessed. "There are more down the shaft. Galvin's somewhere out there in the middle of them."

Then suddenly the druid hurled himself through an opening in the wall of skeletons and dove into the side tu

"We'll follow this passage," he said in a hushed tone. "Maybe it will lead back to the main shaft and we can come at the darkenbeasts from behind."

"And if it doesn't?" The centaur seemed skeptical.

"Then we'll try another tu

Ahead, the torch illuminated barrels and buckets lined against the shaft wall, filled with ore. Several picks lay on top of the largest barrel. Wynter examined them and selected the sharpest pick. The centaur, who could not move quickly in the confined tu

The druid discovered another opening just beyond the mined ore and started down it. This tu

The tu

"We won't hurt you," the druid stated calmly, putting his arms to his sides, away from his weapon. Galvin assumed they were slaves.

"Are there any other miners near?" The druid feared another confrontation.

One of the slaves nodded, then stared beyond Galvin at Bre

"And what about the creatures? The darkenbeasts?" the druid asked, lowering his hands and realizing the miners didn't fear him. "Are those winged creatures all around here, too?"

The slave miner nodded yes.

"How about Maligor? Is the Red Wizard Maligor here?" Bre

"Maligor controls the mines now," came the slave's emotionless reply. The gaunt man explained how Maligor and his minions descended on the mine, slaughtering the guards and taking over the complex. "He controls the creatures, the things you call darkenbeasts."

"Does he control you?" she posed.

"We serve Maligor."

The enchantress turned to Galvin. "They're charmed, I think. Just like I charmed the guard in the orchard."

The druid scowled and began to pace nervously. "Has Maligor been here long?"

The slave scratched his head. "A few days," he said after a pause. "Two, three days. Maybe four, but not more than that."

"Where is he?" Galvin demanded, his voice rising.

The slaves backed against the wall.

"Where?" he persisted.

"We-we shouldn't tell you," one answered. "The master would be angry."

"I'm angry. And I'm here," the druid snapped. "Where's the Red Wizard?"

"Deep in the mines," came a slave's monotone reply.

The druid scrutinized the miners. The slaves appeared tired, and they were thin from lack of food. He realized telling them to leave the mines would be pointless. Maligor's servants wouldn't leave, unless, perhaps, Maligor was dead, the druid thought.