and a strong golden light emanated from the geyser, lighting up the walls of the enormous chamber and filling the shadows with its golden radiance.
Absolute silence filled the cavern.
Lasgol’s brow wrinkled with worry.
Nothing happened. He looked around. All the men were at the ready, tense, prepared for an attack. Several moments went by and nothing happened. Lasgol tried to use his Gift to seek out hidden presences, but nothing was revealed. The magic of that underground place intervened, not allowing him to use his skills. After a few moments of hesitation, seeing there was no apparent danger, they decided to go round the lagoon and keep on in the same direction. They divided: Lasgol and ten men on one side, Toral with the rest on the other. They walked warily, alert to any movement, following the edge of the ring of clay. When both groups were half-way round, there came a splash in the stagnant water.
And suddenly terrifying scaly jaws, revealing rows of sharp fangs, came out of the water at lightning speed. Enormous reptiles with horrendous jaws of long saber-like fangs attacked the group.
Before Lasgol could react, three soldiers had been trapped in those lethal jaws. In the blink of an eye they were dragged to the bottom of the lagoon, violently shaken all the way, by gigantic crocodiles with murderous golden eyes.
“Beware! Giant crocs!” Lasgol shouted as he nocked his bow.
Another enormous greenish crocodile surged out of the lagoon, advancing rapidly, dragging its belly above its four short strong legs. The soldier who was its victim took a step back, taken by surprise, and this allowed the monster to sink its deadly fangs in the leg of the wretched man. He yelled in agony and hit the beast’s head hard with his sword in a vain attempt to free himself. The cuts barely penetrated the tough scales of the reptile. With a sudden thrust the beast spun round and dragged the man back to the water. Two other soldiers tried to block its way, but their attacks merely wounded it. Bleeding, it disappeared under water once again, taking the desperate soldier with it amid deafening screams.
“Giant reptiles! Beware!” Lasgol shouted, seeing the fierce fight the group on the other side of the lagoon was waging against the creatures.
Lasgol made his group retreat to a safer position and ran round the lagoon, keeping his aim on any new attack from the water. Behind him, less than two paces away was the rock wall; ahead was the great lagoon, seething with those lethal giant crocodiles. They were trapped. Suddenly another beast launched itself out of the water at great speed, its jaws wide open to show the huge, menacing rows of teeth. Lasgol fired an arrow which hit the beast in the heart, but it kept going in spite of the mortal wound, the arrow had not penetrated deeply enough. Lasgol nocked another one and let it fly, and this one hit the animal in its thick neck. The enraged beast looked at the Tracker and headed quickly towards him.
It’s just an animal, I must relax and trust my talent and my training, he told himself determinedly. He tried to calm his nerves. He needed something more powerful he could fire, something which could pierce the tough scaly skin of the beast. He needed a powerful shot. His talent would provide him with an extreme potency, capable of piercing steel plates. He focused, and a green light flashed through his wiry body. Without taking his eyes off the appalling reptile, he tensed the bow, breathed and aimed. The beast was almost on top of him, the huge maw searching for its prey. Lasgol aimed at the animal’s right eye, calmly, then an instant before the beast reached him he let the arrow fly. It went into the right eye with such brutal strength that it pierced the skull and made the beast vault over itself in a grotesque pirouette. The gigantic animal fell down dead just a hand-span away from Lasgol’s face.
“Phew!” he snorted... “By a hair.”
He nocked another arrow and
Absolute silence filled the cavern.
Lasgol’s brow wrinkled with worry.
Nothing happened. He looked around. All the men were at the ready, tense, prepared for an attack. Several moments went by and nothing happened. Lasgol tried to use his Gift to seek out hidden presences, but nothing was revealed. The magic of that underground place intervened, not allowing him to use his skills. After a few moments of hesitation, seeing there was no apparent danger, they decided to go round the lagoon and keep on in the same direction. They divided: Lasgol and ten men on one side, Toral with the rest on the other. They walked warily, alert to any movement, following the edge of the ring of clay. When both groups were half-way round, there came a splash in the stagnant water.
And suddenly terrifying scaly jaws, revealing rows of sharp fangs, came out of the water at lightning speed. Enormous reptiles with horrendous jaws of long saber-like fangs attacked the group.
Before Lasgol could react, three soldiers had been trapped in those lethal jaws. In the blink of an eye they were dragged to the bottom of the lagoon, violently shaken all the way, by gigantic crocodiles with murderous golden eyes.
“Beware! Giant crocs!” Lasgol shouted as he nocked his bow.
Another enormous greenish crocodile surged out of the lagoon, advancing rapidly, dragging its belly above its four short strong legs. The soldier who was its victim took a step back, taken by surprise, and this allowed the monster to sink its deadly fangs in the leg of the wretched man. He yelled in agony and hit the beast’s head hard with his sword in a vain attempt to free himself. The cuts barely penetrated the tough scales of the reptile. With a sudden thrust the beast spun round and dragged the man back to the water. Two other soldiers tried to block its way, but their attacks merely wounded it. Bleeding, it disappeared under water once again, taking the desperate soldier with it amid deafening screams.
“Giant reptiles! Beware!” Lasgol shouted, seeing the fierce fight the group on the other side of the lagoon was waging against the creatures.
Lasgol made his group retreat to a safer position and ran round the lagoon, keeping his aim on any new attack from the water. Behind him, less than two paces away was the rock wall; ahead was the great lagoon, seething with those lethal giant crocodiles. They were trapped. Suddenly another beast launched itself out of the water at great speed, its jaws wide open to show the huge, menacing rows of teeth. Lasgol fired an arrow which hit the beast in the heart, but it kept going in spite of the mortal wound, the arrow had not penetrated deeply enough. Lasgol nocked another one and let it fly, and this one hit the animal in its thick neck. The enraged beast looked at the Tracker and headed quickly towards him.
It’s just an animal, I must relax and trust my talent and my training, he told himself determinedly. He tried to calm his nerves. He needed something more powerful he could fire, something which could pierce the tough scaly skin of the beast. He needed a powerful shot. His talent would provide him with an extreme potency, capable of piercing steel plates. He focused, and a green light flashed through his wiry body. Without taking his eyes off the appalling reptile, he tensed the bow, breathed and aimed. The beast was almost on top of him, the huge maw searching for its prey. Lasgol aimed at the animal’s right eye, calmly, then an instant before the beast reached him he let the arrow fly. It went into the right eye with such brutal strength that it pierced the skull and made the beast vault over itself in a grotesque pirouette. The gigantic animal fell down dead just a hand-span away from Lasgol’s face.
“Phew!” he snorted... “By a hair.”
He nocked another arrow and
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