Advice
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 72842
|
Astra curled her fingers beneath the large rock and heaved with all her
might. She succeeded in lifting it, but only just. There was no way she
could use such a cumbersome object as an effective weapon. Growling
lightly, she dropped the rock back to the ground, where it wavered for a
moment on its peak, then toppled over. The slithering noise grew in
volume. Whatever it was, it had to be very close. Astra battled down the
panic that was starting to bubble in her gut.
:I: thought: I: saw: something,: said Alric, giving Astra a start. :Underneath: the: rock,: look.: Dropping to her hands and knees, Astra inspected the area that had been covered by the stone. Sure enough, a tiny hole had been revealed by removing the stone, no more than a thumb's width. Even with her face two feet from it, Astra could barely see the hole in the dim light of the lamp. How in the world did you spot that, Alric? I must have been looking directly at it and I didn't see it. :I: guess: that: we: see: things: differently,: great: granddaughter.: Glad: I: could: be: of: some: use.: Given the size of the hole, Astra had no way of seeing what was inside it. Gingerly she poked a finger into its depths. At first she felt nothing - her nail touched solid rock before her finger was halfway down the gap. Just as she was withdrawing her finger, though, it brushed against something, curled around the sides of the hole. It was not an unfamiliar sensation. Astra stood to her full height, the tiny, fragile parchment fixed between her fingers. With as much care as she could muster given the presence of an unknown scaled beast in her midst, Astra unrolled the yellowed parchment and read the small but scrawled handwriting upon it:
Now I no wy the mistres sent me here. If yur redin this and yur a captiv, SHE IS WEAK and I think she can be destroid. The crest is the kee to it all. She needs the crest. Macedon noes more, but I cant maik him spek. Im cold and I havnt ritten for so long. I culdnt save yu Lasparia Im sorry forgiv me and mine. Be with yu soon. If yur a lisard redin this, bit my ars yu feckers.
As Astra finished reading the last scribbled sentence, she became aware of an acute lack of noise. She looked up. No more than a few feet away, there stood a large group of humanoid creatures. There were eight of them, each at least eight feet in height, standing on two clawed feet and grasping a long, deadly-looking spear. Their skin was green, pocked with irregular scales and bulbous growths. Their faces were distinctly reptilian, a long snout populated with far too many sharp teeth and dark, brooding eyes that twitched in different directions.
Lisards.
"What's that you got, human?" demanded the lead lisard in a suprisingly deep and throaty voice. It waved a single claw in the direction of Astra's hand, and she clenched her fist around the parchment on instinct. A second lisard chuckled, a sickly wet noise that Astra almost shuddered at. "Aw, she's coy." it muttered in amusement. As it stepped forward, the slithering noise returned for a second, and Astra realised the sound came from two massive tails that extended from each lisard's rear end. "Come on, girl, give it up." "Give what up?" asked Astra, finding her voice. She backed away a single step, but the lisards simply took two more steps forward. They were almost within swiping distance. "We're not playing games." said the lead lisard, eyes now narrowed to tiny slits. "You were looking at something. It's in your hand, and you're gonna give it to me. Now." Astra was steeling herself to run for her life. Surely with those enormous tails they could not keep up with her? But as she readied herself to burst through their ranks, she heard Alric. :burn: it: "What?" asked Astra, out loud and incredulous. "You're not deaf!" screamed the lead lisard as his curled, leathery fist struck Astra on the cheek, sending her flying through the air. She felt her shoulder jar awkwardly as she struck the stony ground, igniting her senses. She tasted blood.
:listen: to: me: Astra: burn: it: burn: the: note:
"Give it to me now, filth, and we might show some mercy on your worthless hide." growled the lead lisard, a sinewy purple tongue sliding across its nest of teeth. He took a step towards where she lay. Astra's head lolled, her vision swirled, but she could see the lamp, just behind the lisard's head. And the oily flame that flickered within.
|
Cicero
12/20/2007 12:39:26 PM
21476382 episodes viewed since 9/30/2002 1:22:06 PM.