Don Bassinghtwaite - The Binding Stone

The sound of it sent a chill through Geth.

"Grandmother Wolf!" he breathed, staggering to his feet. A sudden bubbling noise snapped his attention back to the water. Its foul surface was boiling as something rose from deep below.

The head that emerged from the water as big across as a large shield and armored, too-the vile slickness of the water shimmered on a mottled carapace like that of some enormous crayfish. Four powerful legs and a thick tale propelled the creature to the surface, while massive arms clacked jagged pincers as long as Geth's own legs. Tentacles hanging below the enormous creature's head writhed, questing toward him.

Geth scrambled up the stairs, scooting backward to avoid turning his back on the monstrous beast. His feet and hands slipped on the muck that coated the wood, but he kept going as the creature reared back and hauled its bulk out of the water onto the lowest step. Geth grabbed the step nearest him and held on desperately as the stairs pitched under its weight. A high snarl of fear ripped free of his throat.

Dandra whirled around in time to see Geth plunge down the stairs and out of sight. A moment later, she heard a splash as he hit the water below. Temmen tried to take advantage of her distraction and pressed her hard. She beat back his staff, desperately trying to get away. Over the crack of wood against wood, she heard Singe speak the words of a spell-words that became an abrupt gasp of pain. She slid to Temmen's side and twisted to look over her shoulder.

Singe was on his knees, clutching at the knife that sprouted from his arm. Ashi lowered the hand that had thrown the knife and took a step toward him. Vennet turned to Dandra, a look of triumph on his face. Temmen moved back in, his staff already falling.

We're doomed! wailed Tetkashtai. Dah'mir will take us back-

"We're not doomed!" hissed Dandra through clenched teeth. She swept her spear up to block Temmen's blow, then spun the weapon, slid her right hand down on the shaft and wrenched back hard with her left, snapping the butt of the spear up and into the man's groin. He skipped back before it could hit him, but it gave her the opening she needed. "And Vennet," she spat as she pulled Tetkashtai close and reached into herself, "is not Dah'mir."

The air rippled around her as she slid her body through the crevices of space. When she had used the power to escape the Bonetree hunters, she had stepped across hundreds of yards at once, pushing herself as far as she possibly could. The long step moved her much shorter distances as well, though.

She was beside Singe before Ashi had moved more than a pace. The wizard cried out in surprise, but Dandra dropped a hand on his shoulder. Her spear snapped up, swinging between the hunter, Vennet, and Temmen, all of them startled.

"Stay back!" she ordered. She glanced down as Singe pulled the knife free and clamped a hand around the wound. "Singe-"

"I've taken worse," he hissed, then flinched as the cultists' chant rose to a pitch.

Dandra's breath caught in her throat as something big thrashed down in the water, bubbling and splashing and making a hard clacking noise that sent shudders up Dandra's spine. The stairs leading through the hole in the floor flexed and moaned under some massive weight and a high-pitched snarl rose on the air.

"Geth!" Dandra moved toward the hole.

Singe grabbed her hand. "That was a summoning spell, Dandra! Get out of here!"

"Not a chance!" she said.

Ashi slid forward slightly. Dandra's spear darted toward the hunter, but the instant she moved, Vennet and Temmen slid closer as well-and a figure dropped down through the gaping hole in the ceiling that Ashi and Singe had created. It fell right onto Temmen's back, slamming him to the floor.

As everyone-Dandra, Singe, Ashi, Vennet, and the cultists-stared, an orc rolled away from the dazed man, darted to the head of the stairs and began chanting as well.

"Storm at dawn!" choked Vennet. Ashi spun around and leaped for the orc.

Dandra reacted without thinking. Power throbbed on the air as she drew whitefire up from within herself and gave it a tightly focused form. Pale flame flashed around Ashi and the hunter seemed to crumple in mid-stride, stunned by the intense heat.

The orc's eyes widened, but he didn't stop his chanting.

"No!" Vennet howled. He swung between Dandra and the orc as if trying to decide who to attack-then lunged toward Dandra. "Dah'mir will have you!"

Geth scrambled to one side and shoved himself a little higher up the bouncing, slippery stairs as one of the creature's enormous pincers closed on the step where he had been perched-and snipped right through the wood.

"Tiger, Wolf, and Rat!" the shifter yelped. He kicked ineffectually at the pincer. The creature's head turned to him, its tentacles making a horrid slithering whisper as they writhed together. It drew its pincer back and opened it, ready for another strike. Geth tried to haul himself higher, but his bare hand slipped in the slime on the stairs and he had to fight just to stay where he was. "Singe!" he shouted. "Dandra! Anybody!"

The chanting that rolled down from above was a gruff counterpoint to the cultists' chorus. It tugged on Geth, both foreign and strangely familiar. In the water below, ripples seemed to contract, then burst open wide.

The scaly snout of a large crocodile broke the surface. The reptile snapped at the broad, crayfish-like tail of the creature on the stairs, hauling it back toward the water. The creature's head reared back and it let out a screech like steel on slate.

"Quickly, shifter!"

Geth twisted around. An orc stood at the head of the steps, stretching a long staff with a tight crook in the end down to him.

"Climb up!" he urged. "One crocodile can't hold a chuul!"

The stairs gave another ominous groan and bounced as the creature below twisted to flail at the crocodile while still clinging to its precarious perch. Geth glanced over his shoulder in time to see a pincer close around the crocodile and bite deep into its scaly hide. Geth grabbed for the staff and climbed up the slick steps. The orc hauled back, lending his strength to the effort, the muscles of his hairy arms straining under the short sleeves of a pale, swamp-stained shirt.

Recognition stirred in Geth's memory. "You!" he gasped at the orc as he staggered to the top of the steps. "We saw you outside on the street!"

"I was only supposed to watch this place, but I couldn't just watch anymore!" the orc said tightly. His voice had the defensiveness of someone who wasn't completely certain he was doing the right thing. Geth realized with a start that in spite of his size and bold actions, the orc's gray-green face was still smooth with youth.

The stairs shook again, the chuul screeched once more, and there was a frantic hissing from the crocodile that ended with the muffled snap of the chuul's pincer closing. The creature let the crocodile's body fall and turned back toward him, scrambling up the stairs with gore-smeared pincers extended and the tentacles under its head lashing in a frenzy. Geth yelped in shock.

"Geth!" shouted Singe. Geth spun around to see the wizard staggering to his feet. One of his arms was a bloody mess, but he was gritting his teeth against the pain and extending his hands in a gesture of magic. Geth gasped and grabbed the orc, yanking him aside.

As the chuul's head lurched up above the level of the floor, Singe called out a rushing word of magic and a bolt of intense flame roared from his fingers to wash over it. The chuul let out another horrible screech and crashed backward down the stairs, enormous pincers flailing, shell burning and melting. The monster hit the water with a splash and the hiss of extinguished flames.

The orc shouted triumphantly and spun away to lunge for the clustered cultists, his staff swinging. They broke at the orc's charge, their chanting vanishing into a chorus of yelps as they ran for the stairs leading up to the rest of the ruined house. Only Fause, their wild-haired leader, held his ground, pulling a cudgel from his robes and meeting the orc with a frenzied counterattack.