She instinctively lifted her arm, protecting her vision. The alien roared a second before another tentacle struck her. The power behind the blow lifted her off her feet. She twisted as she landed, rolling several feet before her shoulder hit the edge of the short wall that bordered the bridge. The sword skidded several feet past her.
Nali glanced at the alien before she looked at the sword. She rolled toward it. Before she could rise to her feet, something cold and wet wrapped around her ankles, drawing her attention to her feet. She hissed in alarm when the alien tightened its tentacle, and pulled her across the worn stone bridge.
She twisted, reaching desperately for the sword. It was then that she saw the thin river of black liquid in the wheel ruts, and realized the alien had distracted her with multiple attacks, sacrificing parts of itself while using the ruts in the bridge to sneak up on her. Nali frantically clawed at the uneven stones, trying to prevent the alien from dragging her.
“Those weak, green creatures that dwelled here were useless, but you—I sense the power of the ancients in you. A power you do not even realize you possess,” the alien mocked.
Fury burned through Nali like a wildfire out of control. The urge to transform into a larger, more powerful monster almost overwhelmed her, but she resisted the temptation. In any other form, she would be defenseless against the alien’s possession. Even now, she could feel the fluid material of the creature searching for a way to penetrate her skin as it slowly snaked its way up her body.
The sound of metal against stone brought her attention to another long tentacle pulling the sword toward the mass. The creature’s mocking laughter sent a chill through her.
For a moment, Nali couldn’t help picturing what would happen if she failed. She saw herself possessed, using her powers and the Elemental sword against her own people and the Seven Kingdoms. She banished the thought and tried to roll to her right so that she could grab the sword as the long blade slid past.
She dug her fingers into a crevice between two stones and held on with all her might while she stretched her other arm out, frantically reaching for the sword. A hoarse cry of frustration slipped from Nali when her fingers lost their purchase on the crevice.
A sense of impending doom built inside her. The form that kept her safe would also seal her demise. While the alien could not penetrate her flesh, the gargoyle form limited her ability to fight. Only in her softer form could she use the full power of her magic.
“If you want power, try this,” Asahi shouted.
Nali turned and saw Asahi standing in the entrance with his feet spread apart, holding a small weapon aimed at the alien. It was just like the one Mike Hallbrook had used on the first alien back on the Isle of Magic. She flinched at the loud reports when he fired the weapon.
She glanced down at her feet when the creature recoiled with a hiss, loosening its grip on her legs and the sword. She rolled, grabbed the hilt of the sword, and sat up. Turning her head to protect her eyes, she brought the sword up and sliced through the tentacle holding her. With a burst of light, it turned to ash.
Nali stood, holding the sword out in front of her. Asahi continued to fire the weapon at the alien as he strode forward. At his bark of warning, she backpedaled and turned, the sword poised to defend, but this time she couldn’t avoid the tentacle that struck her in the side. She stumbled, the back of her legs catching on the bridge’s low wall, and cursed when she tilted backward into open space.
Her boot heel was caught in a gap in the bridge and she teetered as she fought to keep her balance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another dark tentacle shooting out of the creature toward Asahi. She thrust the sword upward.
The tentacle hit the sword with such force that it knocked the weapon from her hand. Unbalanced by the blow’s intensity, she twisted to grab the enchanted weapon just as the bridge shifted. The small movement was enough to knock her over the side.
She spun as she fell and reached for the bridge. Her fingers found purchase in the bridge’s rough stone, and she hung precariously by one arm. Looking down, she watched in horror as the magical sword tumbled through the air toward the river of lava far below. Up on the bridge, she could hear the report of Asahi’s weapon grow louder as he came closer to her.
With a silent curse, she released her grip on the bridge and focused on the sword. She twisted and flattened her hands against her side to increase the speed of her descent. The heat from the molten river intensified the lower she got.
The sword tumbled a few yards ahead of her. She reached for the hilt when it rotated around in her direction. The tips of her fingers only grazed it, sending it into an uneven wobble. Nali knew she would have to pull up in a few seconds.
“Come on,” she hissed as the hilt swung toward her again.
Her fingers slid over the heated metal, and the moment she had a grip on the sword, she called forth her wings, opening them as wide as she could to slow her free fall.
She soared mere feet from the molten river, swerving as a super-heated bubble of lava exploded in front of her. She glided for several yards before she was able to rise on a wave of heated air. It gave her the lift needed without fear of her touching the lava. With powerful sweeps of her wings, she ascended from the deep ravine and turned back toward the bridge. A brilliant, almost blinding light guided her back to Asahi. It took a moment for her to realize that he was holding the winged-lion dagger.
She scanned the area where the alien had been only minutes before. From her vantage point, she could see that the creature had fled but not before leaving a trail of horror behind. Her throat tightened when she counted at least a dozen goblins lying lifeless along the wall and inside the goblin stronghold.
Sword in hand, she twisted in midair, and dropped onto the bridge near Asahi. He slowly lowered his arm as her feet touched the stone. The glow of his dagger faded when he reached out and steadied her.
“Where did it go?” she asked in a voice filled with emotion.
“It disappeared through the larger drainage vent just over the edge of the bridge,” he quietly replied.
She walked to the edge and looked down. There was a large pipe with water flowing out of it like a waterfall along the ravine wall. Only the goblins would know where the pipe led.
Nali glanced at Asahi when he came and stood next to her in silence. She took a deep breath to calm the grief rising inside her and turned toward the gates of the stronghold.
“I have to see to the dead—and find out if any of the goblins survived,” she said.
“I’ll help you,” he murmured.
An hour later, Asahi gently lay the last of the dead goblins down on the cobblestones. After Nali had left to search for survivors, he gathered all the dead he could find. By the time he finished, twenty dead goblins lay in a row on the path. Now, he stood over the small, armor-clad, green and tan bodies.
He turned away from them, walked over to an overturned cart, and picked up the magical dagger propped there. Mr. Gryphon was keeping a keen eye out in case any part of the alien returned. The animated creature had also filled him in on some of the quirkier details of goblin etiquette while Asahi had completed his gruesome task.
The echo of footsteps, the loud creaking of leather, and the telltale clang of metal on metal attracted his attention. Nali must have been successful in her search. Asahi turned on his heel and faced the approaching group, stunned when he saw that there were already hundreds of goblins gathered at the gates, and more were joining the group every moment.