SWNOVELS Chapter 12: Battle By Moonlight
“Now!” yelled Jack.
Evooku hurled the vial upwards. Lycanthor looked up, surprised. The small vial soared straight up, spinning in the air. Jack levelled the staff and closed his eyes, feeling the tingling sensation of energy running up through his arms. With a cry, he sent the energy beam skywards, cutting through the night with a brilliant green glow. It smashed into the vial which burst, sending an explosion of wolfsbane paste in every direction. It rained down around them. When it hit the wolves, they shrieked in pain and anger, scrambling backwards with their tails low.
Lycanthor howled in fury as the paste coated its fur. Smoke rose from the wounds it opened up, and the mighty werewolf’s body shuddered. Its inhuman eyes burn more brightly.
Lycanthor leapt towards the heroes, and all three of them leaped out of the way as the huge beast crashed through the space they had just been standing in. Clods of earth flew through the air and its huge claws gashed at the ground.
Jack aimed his staff at the beast, preparing another attack, but Lycanthor was ready. The beast reached out with an impossibly long claw and swiped at the staff, knocking it from Jack’s hands and sending him tumbling backwards. His head hit the ground with a crack and he saw stars spinning above. Blinking hard, he looked up to see Lycanthor stalking closer, jaws wide and ready to bite his head off. Jack gulped. Was this the end?
Before he could say his prayers, a foot flew past his eyes as Evooku kicked Lycanthor in the face. The beast roared, turning to face the new attacker. Heart pounding, Jack saw Jasyra standing on top of a half-collapsed rock wall, the silver tip of her arrow glinting in the moonlight.
She raised her arms to let loose the arrow but Lycanthor sensed what was about happen. Moving faster than Jack thought any creature could, the werewolf crashed into the wall, fists high, and smashed it to pieces. Jasyra – and the silver-tipped arrow – flew through the air.
Jack wheezed as he sat up, pain running through his body.
I must get that arrow.
Jack scrambled along the ground, ignoring the fact that he now had no weapon to defend himself. He watched as Evooku grabbed his own bow and drew a wolfsbane-tipped arrow.
Jasyra scrambled through the rubble, drawing Lycanthor’s attention once again. Evooku loosed his arrow, striking Lycanthor in the shoulder. The werewolf grunted but didn’t even turn, so incredible was the rage that had overtaken it. All it wanted now was to destroy Jasyra. If Jack could find that silver-tipped arrow, he might find a way to get it to Evooku.
The green-skinned warrior let loose arrow after arrow into the beast as Jasyra ducked and wove, dodging the Lycanthor’s massive fists, which slammed into the rocks around her. Her eyes met Jack’s. Keep it distracted he thought, hoping she could understand what he was trying to do.
Jasyra ducked under a solid rock wall and Lycanthor followed, before she dodged back. The beast howled in frustration, ripping the wall apart in an attempt to reach her. With a terrible roar, Lycanthor hurled rocked all around itself.
Jack ducked as one of those rocks flew past his head. As he rolled across the ground to avoid being squished, something caught his eye, glinting on the ground in the moonlight.
The arrow.
Jack ran over to scoop it up, wrapping his hand around the thin wooden shaft. Finally the tide was turning in their favor.
“Look out, Jack!” cried Jasyra.
He looked up from the silver arrow. There, standing right before him, was Lycanthor.