Carla's senses finally cleared, a loud ringing in her ears fading as she found herself lying on the ground. She looked up to see Spindle and Sunny staring down at her with smiles.
"You're awake! Daddy was starting to worry." Spindle giggled.
Carla sat up to see Forin perched on one of her legs, the small fluffy dragon looking up at her. Lugh walked over and offered her a hand to stand up, hoisting her to her feet.
A loud scream sounded in the distance, the sound making the hairs stand up on her neck as she looked around in alarm. "What was that?"
"Harkos." Lugh said solemnly, looking toward the building up the hill. She realized she had been lying in the grass, stones and dirt covering her back from the pathway leading up to the small hut. It looked abandoned, harmless and plain. From the sounds of pain coming from its walls, she knew it must be where the witch was keeping her Harkos.
"Alright." Carla said, flinching when another scream rang out. "What do we do?"
I say we go in and kick some witch ass! Florin yelled, the spines on the back of his plush form raising with anger.
"We need to plan this out. The witch likely has traps set." Lugh said, trying to calm his son. "Sunny, what do you see?" He looked down to the younger daughter.
"Lots of traps- some with acid. The safest route is underground. There are lots of tunnels, and Harkos is in the lowest level." She said, her eyes focusing toward the distance while she spoke. "He is being…" She squeaked in fear for a moment before she continued. "She's hurting him."
"Alright- we'll go through the ground then." Lugh said, sounding relieved that he wouldn't have to go from the top. "Lucky for us that's what I'm best at." He said, looking at the hill for a moment as if determining the best spot to go in. He waved a hand and a large portion of the dirt fell from the side of the hill, sliding down to reveal one of the tunnels inside. "Alright- I'll go first, the rest of you follow behind and be careful." Lugh said, walking toward the entrance and looking back at his kids. "Don't let her capture you."
Sunny and Spindle nodded in determination. They walked into the tunnel, looking around to see lanterns hanging from the ceiling every 5 feet to light the tunnels, blood trailed along the ground in a thick mat of mud. Carla gasped when she saw it, moving toward the side of the tunnel when she realized whose blood it must be.
"Stay quiet." Lugh whispered, looking over his shoulder at them. "I hear her ahead."
"Where is she, Harkos? Where's your little friend?" The witch screeched, a sound of pain following. "Did you tell her to run? Is that why you're bleeding when I didn't hurt you? You stupid monster, how dare you defy me?"
Lugh gritted his teeth in anger as he stopped at the end of the tunnel, looking around the corner to see into the main underground chamber. There was a crumpled mass of metal lie within a cage of golden light, the witch poking into the cage with a burning hot brand. Harkos yelled in pain again, his wings stretching out in odd angles in his anguish.
"We have to do something!" Carla whispered in pain, hearing Harkos' cries. They tore right through her, making her chest ache painfully.
"We will- just be patient." Lugh whispered back, looking back at Sunny. The girl shook her head, pointing toward the stick she was holding.
"Her power is strong. She uses pain." She said softly, looking up to her father. "We must hurry."
We can't wait, then! Forin said, jumping off Spindle's shoulder and flew into the area, despite his father's urgent cry of his name.
Hey bitch! Forin yelled, making the witch turn around in alarm, staring at him in shock. The pink dragon let out a low growl before rearing back and letting out a huge spout of flame from his mouth, engulfing the witch and the cage in its burning magic.
"Harkos!" Carla yelled in alarm at the fire swirling around the cage and the witch, but saw a head snap up at his name, wide eyes looking toward her through the red haze.
Lugh rushed forward to help Forin as the witch came forth from the flames, grabbing the pink dragon and squeezing him tight.
"And just what are you, little creature?" She sneered at the fluffy stuffed animal. "Some pathetic soul trapped in this stupid body? You can't even save your friend."
"Let her go, witch." Lugh said, his form shimmering as his outfit revealed a shimmering outfit of gold and white, celtic designs covering the long robes now covering his body.
"Oh would you look at this!" The witch laughed in amusement. "Lugh, the shining one himself is here to rescue you!" She kicked Harkos in his cage, who didn't even flinch at the hit.
"Lugh. You…" A deep voice came from the cage, watching Lugh with wide eyes through the smoke.
"Yes, I'm here. I made a deal with a devil and got out of my prison just to save your metallic ass. You can thank me later." Lugh grinned, making a subtle motion behind him to keep the children and Carla hidden in the tunnel.
The witch grinned, squeezing Forin tighter in his hand so that one of the seams stretched and popped. "And this must be someone you know, hmm?" A small sound of pain came from Forin's form as the seam tore, a golden magic seeping from the tear.
"Stop!" Lugh yelled, his face torn with fear as the magic seeped out.
"Here, let's go." Sunny whispered to Carla as the witch was distracted with Lugh and Forin. She took Carla's hand and Spindles, the older girl smiling.
"Time to use our magic?" Spindle smiled excitedly.
Sunny nodded, and Spindle let the magic between their hands surround them, swirling around them in purple and blue sparks. Carla looked down as their hands disappeared, hers fading slower but just as surely. Soon they were all invisible, Spindle's giggle beside her and their hands holding hers the only reason she knew they were still there. They made their way along the side of the cavern as the witch yelled threats at Lugh, squeezing Forin.
They stopped behind Harkos' cage, the gargoyle curled up on the ground covered with burn marks and welts covering his chest. He watched the witch through the golden bars of his prison, an earnest look of fear on his face that Lugh was fighting the witch.
Carla gasped at the familiar shape of him, remembering all those times in his mist form that he had changed into his true shape, but it was nothing like what he truly looked like. His hair was made of long strings of curved wire like he had said, but his skin was like metallic silver that flexed as he moved. He had long curved wings, the webbing a deep blood red as they folded behind his back to keep away from the bars of light. Fogetting the spell she rushed forward to his cage, landing on her knees in front of him and reaching out to grab his hand through the bars.
Harkos flinched at the touch, his wings raising involuntarily so that he hissed in pain when they touched the bars, turning around to look at her with wide yellow eyes. He stared at her for a moment, frozen in place as his eyes shifted between yellow, purple, and finally settling on red.
"What are you doing here, you crazy woman?" He whispered, turning around in his cage to stare at her, his fangs bared in his anger. "I told you to stay away!"
Carla didn't care that he was angry, She was just glad to hear his voice actually spoken from him and not from a cloud of mist. She reached her other hand into the cage to hold his large clawed hand between hers, the metal cool against her skin. "I had to see you." She said, looking him over to see ridges along his face that looked like stone, the hard angles of his cheeks and jaw making him look rugged and dangerous. Long curved horns sprouted from his wire hare, and his wings folded behind him again. His legs were as they were in the shadow form- more animal-like than human, and ending in long dangerous claws. He even had a long serpent-like tail.
A laugh from behind Harkos made him flinch as he turned around to see the witch watching them with amusement. "Oh how wonderful, I didn't even need to find her!" The woman bent over with laughter again, Harkos leaning against the bars in a protective stance in front of Carla, ignoring the hissing pain against his back.
"Stay away from her." Harkos growled, a low animal like sound of warning coming from his throat.
"Oh that's rich coming from a prisoner. Here." The witch snapped her finger so that the golden bars disappeared for a second, only to reappear around them both. "Now I have you where I want you, and I can take care of the rest at my own leisure. Maybe I'll even cook them… dinner." She looked over at Harkos and Carla thoughtfully. "Mmmm, something different might be nice for a change, but it'll be a one-time deal, I think. She doesn't look like there's much meat to her."
Carla squeaked as she moved closer to Harkos, the gargoyle holding an arm out in front of her protectively.
You know what, I've had just about enough of you. Forin growled in her hand the little plush letting out a squeak as he huffed as much as he could in her grasp, letting a jet of flame out toward her face. The witch screamed in pain, blasting the stuffed animal with magic so that it burst apart as she gripped her face, the skin burning and blistering from the flames.
"FORIN!" Lugh yelled in horror as the scraps of fur fell to the ground, the golden light dissipating into the air.
