Black wizards - Douglas Niles [105]
Finally the unicorn ceased his pounding, settling to his four hooves to stand, breathing hard. He lowered his head and probed at the shapeless thing on the ground, meeting no resistance. Whatever it was had vanished into the air.
Robyn stood weakly and stumbled to the unicorn's side, drawing strength from the feel of his broad flank. She seized his neck and hugged him, mutely thanking him for her life. Kamerynn's white head turned and he gently nuzzled her shoulder as she sank, exhausted, to the ground.
* * * * *
"N-Newt? Are you all right?" Yazilliclick peered into the dragon's dilated pupils, gently nudging his scaly head.
"Yazikilill – Yazillikillikk – Yazilliclick?" blinked the dragon. "What happened? Where's Robyn?"
"You got thumped – got thumped!" said the sprite. "R-Robyn's gone." The faerie whimpered slightly as he thought of their friend being carried off by the invisible thing.
"Well, let's get her! I'll show that stupid thing how a dragon fights! I've got a spell that will put -"
The faerie dragon stopped, stunned by a sudden wash of pale light that spilled from the Moonwell into the darkness around them. The pair sat on the ground, just outside the ring of arches. As the light exploded, they both sprang to the slab of stone beside them, the stone that had, until recently, marked the top of one of the druidic arches.
They stared in awe. Even Newt was silent as the foaming waters of the Moonwell spurted from the pool to blanket the druids, boiling and hissing and then withdrawing to leave the druids as stone statues. The undead staggered away from the explosion, recoiling as drops of water struck their decayed skin or barren bones.
"What happened to Genna – to Genna?"
"I don't know," said Newt, mystified – and very curious. "Let's go see!"
The sprite looked sadly at the druids and shook his head. Suddenly, he had an idea – a way to get Newt away from this dangerous place, too.
"L-let's get Robyn. Let's find her!" Yazilliclick urged.
Newt was puzzled by the metamorphosis, but he couldn't think of anything he could do about it. "Okay. Which way did she go?" Yazilliclick pointed, and the two creatures of faerie darted into the dawn, seeking their friend.
* * * * *
Robyn awakened with a start. Frantically she looked around, taking in her surroundings. The great unicorn stood watchfully over her, and the sun was high in the sky. She saw that they were in a small, flowery meadow, near a clear pool of water that reflected the blue-green images of towering pine trees.
The young druid stood and stretched. Suddenly she remembered the battle – and the thing that had borne her away. "Kamerynn, we've got to get back to the grove!" She grasped a handful of the unicorn's mane and was about to swing onto his back when she heard an excited voice calling from the forest.
"Robyn! Here you are! We've been looking all over for you!" Newt, followed by Yazilliclick, buzzed toward her. The faerie dragon hovered to a landing on his favorite perch, Kamerynn's horn. "You should have seen it! The Moonwell got all white and foamy, and water sprayed all over Genna and the druids. And when it stopped, they were all statues!"
Robyn gasped. "You mean Genna – all of them – turned to stone?"
Yazilliclick settled to the ground. "St-stone, yes. All white and smooth. They didn't move – didn't move!"
With a groan, Robyn sat heavily on the ground again. The battle was lost! And her impetuousness had carried her away at the most crucial time!
"D-don't cry," said the faerie, his antennae bobbing slowly as he frowned at Robyn. "You couldn't have done anything – anything to stop it! You're the one who got away. Now you can go back and fix it – fix it!"
Robyn felt as though she was about to cry. Never had she felt so lost, so alone. The undead were in possession of the Moonwell, and Genna and the other clerics were trapped within stone. She had no idea what she would do next.
A soft whispering of wind pulled her attention across the meadow, though she felt no breeze upon her. The water of the small pool was rippling