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Taking another crystal, James again cries ‘Hold’ as another barrier springs into being surrounding the creature. Just as before, the entrapped creature begins to sink to the ground as it fights to escape. Tossing that crystal to the ground, he slows his horse to a slow walk as he hurriedly begins to untie the sack of crystals from behind his saddle. He works the knot binding it closed furiously but only manages to cinch it tighter.

Removing his belt knife, he cuts through the leather thong just as the power crystal cracks and the barrier trapping the creature disappears. Roaring to life once more, the creature springs into the air.

James opens the sack and hunts for a specific pouch of crystals, one tied with a string dyed blue. Before he finds it, crackling noise announces another of the fiery bolts coming toward him and he again responds with magic. The bolt is deflected to the right where it impacts with an abandoned wagon.

Ka-Bam!

The wagon erupts in a fiery explosion. Out of time, James takes his last power crystal from his belt pouch and again confines the creature. As it settles again to the earth, he hunts for the pouch with the blue string.

“Aha!” he cries triumphantly when he finds it. Quickly untying the string he pulls out two crystals glowing a dark crimson. These crystals are the last of the ones he created to deal with the hell hounds, those creatures of fire sent by the followers of Dmon-Li. This creature could very well come from the same place.

Crack!

The crystal maintaining the barrier shatters and the creature is again hurtling forward. Tossing both crystals toward the creature, James unleashes the magic contained within them. Immediately, a shimmering blue field springs to life surrounding the creature. Its roar of pain can be heard as the frigidly cold barrier sears into it.

James adds his own power to that of the crystals as he fights against the power of the creature to implode the barrier and kill his attacker.

Crack!

James’ unbelieving eyes flick toward where one of the crystals now lays shatters on the ground and the glow of the other is diminishing rapidly. “Damn!” he cries. He isn’t going to be able to do it. Even if he drains himself to the point of unconsciousness, there’s little chance of stopping this creature. He continues to use his own magic to hold the creature while he turns his horse and begins putting some distance between them.

Kicking the sides of his horse, he quickly gets it back to a gallop. Half a minute later, the remaining crystal shatters. With that, the drain on his own reserves is too great and he’s forced to let the spell go. When the barrier disappears the creature again roars to life, the sound similar to that of a forest fire and the chase is on.

Jiron and Jared had come to a halt while he was facing off with the creature. But when they see he lost the battle and was in flight, they again bolt down the road.

As James races down the road, he removes the remaining crystals from his sack one at a time. These crystals contain spells he so painstakingly worked to get just right. With a thought he removes the embedded spells and quickly uses them to power barriers to slow the creature. Each one only gives him a minute or two to get further down the road before they fail. This creature is powerful!

Behind them in the road, a wake of burning wagons which caught fire either by the fiery bolts or by just being in close proximity with the creature, sends a billowing cloud of black smoke into the air.

Soon, the walls of the city appear before them. What safety they may afford them is questionable, but it has to be better than out here in the open.

People are fleeing in through the gates to escape the inferno roaring down the road toward them. The gates begin to swing shut before Jiron and Jared even come close. By this time, James has managed to put a hundred yards between the creature and himself. His store of powered crystals is all but exhausted, only three remain.

He comes abreast of Jiron and Jared where they have stopped near the gates. Jared is pleading