Masters & Slayers (Tales of Starlight) by Davis Bryan

Author:Davis, Bryan [Davis, Bryan]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781617151798
Publisher: AMG Publishers
Published: 2011-03-30T16:00:00+00:00

“Adrian!” a familiar voice called.

He blinked open his eyes. “What?”

“I hear something in the water, a splashing noise.”

He sat up. The sky gave hints of dawn to the east, while to the west, the three moons hung low over the horizon.

When the splashing sound registered, he searched for the source. A huge creature swam toward them, maybe twenty feet away, but it was still too dark to tell what it was.

Adrian reached for the knot in the vine and tried to untie it. It wouldn’t budge. The splashes drew closer. He grabbed the hatchet and chopped through the vine, setting the raft free. The current pushed it along, but would it move quickly enough?

Something heavy sloshed onto the raft. It tipped to the side, throwing Adrian into a pair of furry limbs. As it squeezed him close to its body, he slashed at it with the hatchet, not seeing where his blows landed. The beast let out a squeal and released him. He tumbled into the water and immediately dove underneath.

In the darkness, underwater pulses gave away the attacker’s position, allowing Adrian to swim in the opposite direction, perpendicular to the current. Would it follow? Likely yes, if it wasn’t wounded too badly. Should he turn and fight? The beast could be enormous. Yet, with his ankle still sore, outrunning it might be impossible, even if he made it to shore.

Finding the bottom of the river, he turned downstream and pushed off the sandy bed. His only hope was to find the raft and defend it with sword and hatchet. The cloak and his weapons weighed him down, but stripping them off was out of the question. He would need them later.

As he swam, he looked up. The dawning sky cast shadows on the surface above, including that of the floundering creature behind him. Ahead, a rectangular object floated slowly along. It had to be the raft.

He surged toward it, grabbed the edge, and hoisted himself aboard. About three body lengths back, the beast roared and lurched toward him, his hairy limbs slapping the water. It looked like a cross between a bear and a beaver, as large as the mountain bears in Mesolantrum. Yet, those bears didn’t swim well at all, and this creature seemed right at home. It glided toward the raft, its jaws snapping as if devouring the water in front of him.

Adrian chopped the hatchet’s blade into the raft’s surface. The pole had fallen into the water. There was no way to propel. He drew out his sword and jammed it into the river. Too deep. His only paddle would be a prayer.

As the beast drew closer, Adrian smacked the water with the sword. “Stay back!”

The beast hesitated, but only for a moment before swimming again, now even more quickly. A swifter current kept the raft out of its reach, at least for the moment.

Adrian shouted, “Do you know what it is, Cassabrie?”

Her voice breathless, she spoke quickly. “Storybooks tell of a similar creature called a vog, but I can’t be sure.

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