Burimen Brothers – Part VII | Douglas W.T. Smith

#Fantasyfriday is here.

I know it’s Saturday but I was exhausted yesterday, and I forgot to post it.

Here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

and here are all the previous installments!

Happy reading and please leave feedback, (constructive criticism is never taken personally) like, or tweet if you enjoy it. Thank you.

‘What does she mean by next test?’ I questioned Santhara in the arena’s seating.

‘Three elements of test,’ She answered, walking into the fighting pit.

I was still one with Iureth; she waited for my next command.

‘How do I become me again?’ I wriggled my waist, trying to detach myself. Iureth’s tail whipped back and forth, slamming into the wall.

‘Hey!’ Santhara yelled. I paused and noticed the damage I had done.

‘The same way you morphed, within your mind,’ she answered, climbing over the scattered debris.

I closed my eyes and slowed my breath. I placed my hands on either side of me, and pulled myself out as if I was stuck in a hole. My legs popped out and I sat on Iureth’s back. I had never been happier to see my limbs and to wriggle my toes. Iureth’s tail placed her tail next to me. I jumped on and she lowered me down next to Santhara.

The giant python bowed her head; I returned the bow. She slithered back through the tunnel.

My heart was racing and a rush of adrenaline was pumping through my veins.

‘What you feel is nothing, compared to the feeling you have when you find your animal spirit,’ Santhara told me, as I stared at my hands.

‘Animal spirit?’

‘Everyone has an animal within them and once you find them, they’ll never leave you. Iureth is Mother’s spirit and mine is Rehijeck, she’s a snow leopard.’

‘Where is she?’

‘You’ll meet her soon,’ she walked towards the tunnel.

‘So what is the second test?’ I followed.

‘You’ll see.’

We came to the crimson door. Deanna stood with the door open.

‘I was wondering how long you were going to take, come on there’s not much time,’ She rushed us through the door.

We emerged from a giant oak tree, engrained to the trunk was the doorframe. Deanna appeared last and closed it behind here.

‘Where does Iureth go?’ I asked Deanna.

‘Iureth has a key of her own,’ She showed the emerald-green key, hanging around her chest on a black-gold chain.

‘Same as you?’ I turned to Santhara.

Around her chest was a white-gold key on an off-white chain. I had never noticed the keys around their chest, until then.

Santhara led us over enormous tree roots and through hanging vines. Sun leaked through the forest roof but not enough to dry the damp forest floor.

‘Where are we?’ I asked after an hour of walking through the miserable forest.

‘This is Overgroth Forest, the outer edge of Gahrgan – Giant’s country,’ Deanna informed, ‘we are a long way from home, so stay close.’

‘Is this it Mother?’ Santhara asked.

We emerged from the forest and stood in front of a vast lake.

Deanna stood in front of us, ‘This is your second test,’ she answered, ‘to control a tame beast is easy but to control a wild one, is the second task to prove you are a Beast Tamer.’

In the distance behind her, a spiky spine shifted through the surface of the water, hiding its full body.

‘What is that?’ I exclaimed. Nervous of what creature I had to attack.

‘In Garhrgan, they call it a Ginaturian. A four-legged thorned fish with razor sharp claws and teeth,’ Santhara tried to scare me.

‘How does the morphing work then?’ I asked, scared of the creature ripping me open.

‘It’s a training session; you’ll figure it out. But don’t let its size fool you,’ Deanna said, before pushing me into the water.

I flopped around, kicking the water beneath me. I manage to stay afloat, ‘are you kidding?’ I screamed at them. They held their stomachs in laughter. I heard water move behind me. I spun around but nothing was there, just the vastness of the lake and the clear sky above. It was deep, only metres they stood but the lake dropped off to the centre of the earth. I stuck my head under water, dark blue water to black loomed below me.

I heard water behind me again. I surface and saw the thorned spine circling me in the distance. I panicked and swum towards Deanna and Santhara.

‘You’re not aloud back on dry land unless you are riding the Ginaturian.’ Deanna threatened me.

The Ginaturian waited for me. It waited till I was further away from the drop-off zone, in its territory. I swum towards it, regretting each stroke but I had no other choice, I had to do it, for Mother and Elijah. The thorned spine sunk beneath the water. I stuck my head under, opened my eyes and looked at the emptiness. It disappeared. I re-surfaced – nothing.

I dove under, and beneath me the Ginaturian charged at me with its opened long-snout and sharp teeth. At the last second, I placed my hands on the mouth, stopping it from snapping at me. We both came to the surface, its claws scratching me. I held the wrists but the teeth snapped and snapped, trying to rip my face off.

It took me underwater and I managed to get a tiny breath before it dunked me. It was small. It was half the size of me but the tail was as powerful as a dragons tail. It thrust deeper and deeper. My head squeezed with the deep pressure underwater. Its claws ripped open my shoulders. Blood oozed out like smoke signals. I squeezed out of its sharp grip and pushed the creature to the side. My breath ran thin.

Blood had spread through the water; it was hard to see the surface and the Ginaturian. Each stroke upward stung my arm, sucking more oxygen and blood out of my body. I gasp for air as I resurfaced. A sigh of relief from Deanna and Santhara echoed across the water. Bloody water pooled around me. I could not see the creature. I swam fast to the edge of the lake.

I heard splashes of water; I turned and saw the spikes rushing towards me. I glanced at them on shore, behind them a large dragon and rider camouflaged out of the forest; a Wndeth.

‘Behind you!’ I warned them.

They spun around as the Wndeth’s dragon stepped out and breathed fire. Deanna pulled Santhara into the water. I dove under and saw them swimming under water. I swum towards them with all my strength, claws dug into my legs. It was the thorned creature. It climbed up my body, each claw dug deep into my skin and polluting the water with my blood. My vision blurred by red clouds of misty blood.

I felt a hand grab my head, I grabbed the arm and Deanna pulled me towards her. She swam over and grabbed the Ginaturian and placed its back against my chest. I knew what she was doing. I closed my eyes, my breath ran thin as the creatures spine tore into my chest. I opened my eyes and the Ginturian had merged into my body. My arms were thorned, skin blue and a long snout stuck out beneath my vision. Blood still blurred around us. It kept us hidden from the Wndeth above. I grabbed Deanna’s arm and thrust once with my tail and my speed was miraculous. In an instant, I was holding Santhara and thrusting underwater along the drop-zone away from them. We resurfaced, gasped for air, looked at the Wndeth and dragon peering over the water looking for us; and dove under, swimming away from a fiery death.

#DWTSmith #elements

forest