Chapter 25: Blind-sighted

The Master watched the skinner reveal its ghastly guise in the waters of his pool. He took pleasure in the horror the creature drew from the princess and her family. The muscles in Lara's arms tensed, for the creature unnerved even her. He smirked in amusement at her reaction. Even he would willingly concede the skinner was a creature worthy of nightmares, if he ever experienced such things.

"So much for that."

"Shut it, boy."

The Master's smirk disappeared. He glanced out the edge of his hood, eyes narrowed at his guests. At his side stood Remora, the pool's images reflected in her mask. Beside her stood Richard Avitas, but not as Seahaven once knew him. The traitorous oppressor had changed since returning from his and Remora's hunt for the creature now confronting the royal family. His hair was cut short, blonde stubble lining his jaw. His frame was broader and more muscular. He was even several inches taller. He wore a long red coat with black pants and gloves. His black leather boots were reinforced with metal on the toe and heel. At his side hung a new rapier, the silvery steel pommel emblazoned with a red coral skull.

Though he had minimal interaction with Richard before today, the Master was starting to understand Remora's desire to deprive the "boy" of his tongue. He had no regrets in bringing the former lord into Maelstrom's ranks. Richard's capability with a sword and cruelty were just the sort of wicked traits expected of those the Master gathered to his cause. Better to have him here than rotting away in Seahaven's disused dungeons. However, his character left much to be desired as an underling. A life of aristocratic privilege and luxury ordering others to satisfy his whims and appetites made arrogance, vanity, and pride Richard's principal traits. His obedience and loyalty were clearly reserved for his own interests. Currently, the most pressing one was his vengeance on Lara. He had no interest in anything else. All his training and gains were for that one goal. He had no interest in helping Maelstrom or the Master, if Remora's account of the problems he created during their hunt were any indication.

Richard scoffed as the skinner devoured its stolen face, folding his arms over his chest. "Threeweeks. Three weeks you had me hunting through the back alleys and sticks of Strihaven for that thing like some trained bloodhound. You and this witch sacrificed twelve men, a pirate crew, a seaclops, and a chance at killing two royal families just to sneak that animal into the palace? All that effort and it manages to stay hidden for what? Half a day?"

"You're not gonna stay intact for another half a minute if you don't shut your mouth," hissed Remora.

Richard glared at her, riled by her tone and the threat. The witch may have saved him from a life as a crippled prisoner, but from what the Master saw he would sooner return to that fate before showing any respect to her. His ego, misogynous tendencies, and their shared hatred of Melody's bodyguard would never allow it. They were after the same prize, and Richard would not settle for runner up in the contest. Especially to a woman.

"Watch your tongue when you speak to me, wench!" spat back Richard, his hand straying towards his sword. "Or I'll watch it for you after I cut it out!"

Remora turned to face him, threads of red electricity dancing along her arms and mask. "Try it and the only thing you'll watch is me pulling your entrails out!"

The Master sensed a fight brewing, their words baiting the other to strike first. As entertaining as it would be to let them go at each other he was not in the mood for distractions.

His eyes flashed and his magic flared, filling the cavern like a poisonous cloud. The torches dimmed as the chamber trembled. Strands of shadow writhed and swirled about him. Remora and Richard flinched at the dominating pressure suddenly bearing down, alarmed by how sudden and powerful his assault was. Shadowy spears sprang from the floor as their heads were slowly forced down till the points pressed with dangerous pressure against their throats.

"That's enough," said the Master. "From both of you. Be quiet or I will make you."

Remora raised her hands in surrender, her electricity stopping immediately. Richard's hand lingered by his sword, but a warning press towards the shadow spear and he thought otherwise. He pulled his hand away, indicating he would comply if grudgingly.

"I brought you here to observe, not to turn my hall into your dueling grounds," said the Master as he withdrew his power, the spears disappearing into the floor as the light returned. "Spill each other's blood on your own time. While you're here you will know your place. Understood?"

Remora bowed low, her braid coiling on the floor. "Apologies, sir."

Richard narrowed his eyes at the Master but said nothing, turning to the pool with a dissatisfied grunt and shrug. The Master momentarily considered pressing Richard into the floor till he squeezed an answer out of him, but the happenings at the palace were of greater interest. If he proved a further nuisance, he would let Remora deal with him.

He turned his attention back to the pool, keen to see how the night would progress.


Lara was completely focused on the skinner. She refused to even blink, watching every motion it made down to the breath it took. She could feel its eyes looking her over, discerning what lay beneath her skin. It cocked its head to the side, studying her with disquieting clicking sounds. It scraped its claws together, the razor edges rasping like dry bones. A drop of blood fell from its cheek, staining its tabard with inky blots. Its tongue crept out and licked off the remainder, revealing healed skin.

Suddenly the skinner lurched forward, loosing a hissing shriek with shark-like mouth agape and tongue lashing wildly. The princesses screamed, clinging to one another or their quivering husbands. Grimsby and Eric staggered back, their faces almost as pale as the aged advisor's hair. Ariel and Melody jumped to their feet as Sebastian yelped, disentangling himself from Arista's hair with a speed that would impress the deftest of escape artists. He darted for Ariel, racing up to hide in her hair as though it provided the safety of an iron box.

But Lara did not move. She did not so much as flinch. She was taught as a crossbow on a hair trigger, waiting for the smallest indication of an attack. This monster was even more dangerous than the seaclops. It did not have its brute strength or toughness, but its speed and weaponry were something else. One lapse in her attention, even the briefest of glances away, and she would create an opening for those claws and teeth to claim hers or someone else's life.

The skinner gnashed its teeth, hissing as it made what Lara could only guess was a smile. She scowled back at it, remembering the first time she saw one of these predators.


If history had a scent, Lara was sure it would smell like old books. Thick, musty and ancient, yet urgent, as though pleading to be read before time silently reclaimed yellowed pages and fading ink. Stories, accounts, legends, knowledge, wisdom, and teachings were lost one dust mote at a time as the hands of the clock moved ever forward.

Most of her father's books smelled that way.

Their library was literally large enough to fill a palace. Shelves taller than pines were filled to the brim in row after seemingly endless row across multiple levels. Even more books lay stacked in great piles throughout or filed along the distant walls. Lara needed a map just to find her way around. She could not imagine a larger collection of books anywhere in the world. They were from all places in all languages from all ages. There were freshly printed tomes, maps of far away lands, and scrolls holding ancient philosophies and histories. There were even books that looked nothing like books—relics from a past long forgotten. The sheer number was beyond measure. Enough for generations of reading.

Lara lay on the smooth stone floor, chin propped in one hand as she flipped through the pages of an old codex. Nearby her father poured over a heavy ancient tome, mumbling as he did when deep in thought. A cinderfly lantern stood beside her, the pyrotechnic insects within providing a warm bright light complimenting the flickering glow her charm was emitting.

Lara carefully turned another page, blowing off a light layer of dust. The pages were yellowed and the edges frayed from countless turns. A picture of a sphinx and a griffin was illuminated, the creatures side by side for comparison. Her lips moved as she read the writing, the author describing both beasts thoroughly. The codex was filled with hand-drawn images such as these, detailing creatures from the mundane to those that defied imagination. They held her attention for hours already. Still she continued, eager to see what waited on the next page.

She finished reading and turned the page, revealing a sketch of one of the uglier creatures she had seen. It was humanoid but emaciated with scarred skin stretched tight over its bones. Its eyes reminded her of a cave, empty and dark. Its long claws looked even sharper than its teeth, which filled a wide mouth. It looked absolutely monstrous, and the accompanying sketches of it running, leaping, and what appeared to be screaming were no less appealing.

But instead of flinching away or flipping to the next page Lara leaned in closer, taking in every detail with curious golden eyes. It was drawn with such exquisite detail she could see the tiny ridges on its teeth. She looked for a description she could read, but found that time had not been so kind to this page. The words were faded and smudged, granting her jumbled words but no clear understanding of what she was looking at. She rose and trotted awkwardly over to her father, trying to balance the large codex despite her arms lacking the length and strength to do so.

"Dad, what's this?" she asked, attempting to hold up the codex for him.

Her father glanced down at the aged drawings then returned to his own book. "That is a type of nyctophile. A skinner to be exact."

"What's a night toad bile?" she asked.

Her father chuckled, amused by her bumbling pronunciation and natural inquisitiveness. He closed his book and set it aside. Lara knew he must be busy, but he never seemed so busy that he could not spare time for her.

"The word is nyctophile," he corrected, leaning down to help her set the codex on a stack of historical texts. "It is a word from the Old Tongue meaning 'Children of the Shade.' They are a very old race. Their kind have been in this world since before the Lost Age. They are as elusive and secretive as they are dangerous. Rarely seen and spoken of less." He tapped a fingernail against the picture. "This one is called a skinner."

Lara tilted her head. "It looks like a boogeyman."

"Yes. Except, unlike boogeymen, skinners are real. Many of the stories of 'things that go bump in the night' are based on encounters with these predators. Most are watered down accounts at best. Accurate ones at worst."

"Why's it called a skinner?" asked Lara.

"Because of these." Her father pointed to the long claws on the creature's hands. "These are a skinner's weapons as well as their shield. Each one is hard as iron, sharper than a razor, and laced with anticoagulants."

"Anti-what?"

"A substance that prevents blood from clotting, allowing a wound to bleed freely."

"Oh…ow."

"A skinner does more than just eat its prey," continued her father. "It takes its form as well. They hunt silently and strike quickly. The poison in their tongues is a powerful paralytic. One drop will paralyze a man for days. Once their prey is immobilized, they use their claws to skin them alive."

Lara swallowed, a twinge of fear in her voice as she stammered, "A-alive?"

"Alive. Then they eat the body and wear the skin as their own."

"Ew," said Lara, face crinkling in disgust.

Her father grinned at her expression. "It is not a pleasant business. After that they live among their prey. They can subsist for years on human food and animals. But eventually they will need to feed on humans themselves. It is a requirement of their biology."

"But wouldn't people notice the claws? And the teeth? And the eyes?"

Her father shook his head. "Skinners are masters of disguise and deception. They can imitate any voice perfectly and maintain any body shape so long as they eat. They are smarter than most humans and immensely patient. A skinner may spend weeks to months following prey to learn their behaviors and habits. Once they've taken a skin, they are indistinguishable from humans. The only sure way to tell if someone is a skinner is by blood. Unlike other mortal races, a nyctophile's blood is always black."

"What if I find one?" asked Lara.

"I would try not to if I were you. Nyctophiles are not known for leaving witnesses. If you ever encounter a skinner, fight only if you have to. Although…" He gave her that lopsided toothy grin of his and then tickled her stomach with a finger. Lara squealed, squirming as she tried to fight him off. He kept going for a few seconds and then stopped, allowing her to breathe again. "Once you have completed your training these will be checking under their beds for golden-eyed sorceresses."

Lara giggled as her father ruffled her hair affectionately, tickled at the thought of such a creature being afraid of a little girl.


"You're brave for a female," said the skinner, imitating Lara and then Melody's voices. "Or good at hiding your fear. Usually I can tasteit in the air." It hissed, tongue sinuating out like a snake and then retreating into its mouth. "I taste fear from them. Delicious, deep fear. But you're not even trembling. Unusual…and irritating."

"If you were the first skinner I'd seen then yeah, I'd probably be scared," said Lara, voice steady as her sword. "But like I said, I've seen your kind before. And I've fought worse. So don't expect me to start shivering anytime soon."

The skinner clicked in its throat, black eyes narrowing at her. "Is that so?"

It walked over to a small table by the wall, a vase filled with cut tulips atop it. It ran a single claw down the top, leaving a long wavy scratch in the wood. "And where do you get that bravery from? Your sword? Your strength? Beating those seafaring monkeys and that beast? Seeing through my disguise?"

It stopped its tracing, traces of anger appearing in its male voice as it said, "Or that lie of you surviving my brethren?"

"Calling it a lie won't make it one," answered Lara.

The skinner suddenly speared its claws through the table and ripped it apart, sending splinters and ceramic shards flying. The spontaneous aggression drew flinches and screams from the royalty, but Lara did not move. She knew this game. It was trying to rattle her and put cracks in her conviction. No different from a bull bluffing a charge. Weakened resolve made for a weaker foe. She had to hold her ground and confidence.

"Don't take me for a fool, ape!" it spat, red-flecked spittle flying from its mouth. It raked its claws over the wall, gouging deep scratches into it. "You are insects! Worms! You're stronger than most, I'll give you that! But you're still just a human! Same as every other dirt-crawling mammal I've eaten! I am the predator here! You are the prey!"

Lara kept her eyes locked on it, even as it shrieked so loud the others covered their ears. It kept going till its breath ran out, panting and glaring at her with malice in its cold dark eyes. Lara glared right back, growling in her throat.

The skinner took a deep breath and composed itself. "I've wasted enough time on you, woman. I'm here for these monkey's heads and I won't be thwarted."

Melody whimpered in fright, holding tighter to Ariel as Lara set her stance. The skinner started pacing across the hall, eyes roaming over the huddled humans as it clicked its claws together.

"I rarely get to kill so many," it said, copying Lara again. "Where do I start? Maybe with you, so your cowering friends can watch me peel you strip by strip? Or maybe I'll start with the others instead? Bleed the males out, skewer the females, and then gut the little ones in their sleep. The pregnant one should be interesting."

Arista placed a protective hand over her belly as her husband August stepped in front of her. Lara gripped her sword tighter, lips curling in disgust.

"Or maybe I'll take the redhead," continued the skinner, mimicking Ariel's voice. It licked along one of its claws. "Her skin looks so soft. I'd take my time skinning her. I've never worn a queen before. I'd hate to spoil the hide."


Melody could not take her eyes away. She could scarcely bring herself to blink she was so scared. She felt cold. This nightmare before her made the demon tame by comparison. She never could have imagined such a grotesque and frightening abomination in the world. It looked like the sort of horror sailors invented out at sea, or one of the phantasms young children feared was hiding under their beds. Except this one was real. And it wanted to kill them.

The skinner stopped its pacing. "On second thought…what's that saying humans have? Business before pleasure?"

Melody froze when its head slowly tilted over, eyes locking with hers. It smiled impossibly wide, revealing dozens of its savage pointed teeth. "So I'll start with her!"

With a shriek like a banshee the skinner dashed and pounced at Melody, mouth gaping and claws outstretched. Eric fumbled out of Grimsby's support to protect his wife and child as everyone else recoiled backwards. Ariel used herself as a shield, holding Melody tight as she turned her back to the skinner and waited for the claws.

Melody just screamed, watching the incoming monster over her mother's shoulder.


Hearing Melody's terrified scream sparked something inside Lara. She fell into memory, one after the other flashing through her sight. A tentacle thicker than a mainmast lashing out at a queen. Gunfire sounding as she leapt for a princess's back. A little girl cradled in her arm as an enraged nobleman lunged to skewer them both.

Reaching out to a young blonde woman standing in a room, consumed in billowing fire and deafening thunder moments later.

A single word resonated in Lara's mind, and with it came a powerful instinct. It coursed through her like a lightning bolt, setting her courage aflame like a torch to oil. It burned bright and hot, driving away hesitation, uncertainty, and restraint like castle walls before the unstoppable force of a tsunami.

That instinct was to protect.


The skinner must have expected Lara to drop her bravado and flee, or at least not react in time. Melody could assume so, for what human would stay put much less intercept when a monster with knives for fingers attacked so quickly?

Both she and the monster were taken by surprise when, instead of turning tail or locking up, Lara bolted straight at it. A furious yell tore from her as her right hand left her sword, pulling back into a fist as she slipped by the oncoming claws.

Melody had never seen Lara punch up close nor paid much attention when she did. Now she saw the synchronized orchestra of movements that went into her strike. Her hips twisted in time with her shoulder as her arm extended. Her fist rotated as she stepped through, putting all her weight behind the punch. The knuckles of her index and middle fingers smashed into the skinner's face, compounding the force further. Her back foot lifted up as her arm straightened without locking her elbow, punching through to some unseen target behind the skinner's head.

The skinner's leap ended with a sound like hanging meat being hit with a rod. Its body went past its head before Lara's fist sent it flying back the way it came. It sailed away, flipping over in the air then hitting the floor and tumbling down the hall before crashing against a pedestal holding a statue of a dancing woman, knocking the piece off to shatter on the floor. The skinner writhed about clutching its bleeding face, shrieking in pained shrill tones.

"You won't lay a claw on her!" shouted Lara, voice sharp as her sword and hard as her clenched fist. "Or anyone else ever again! Not while I'm still breathing!"

The skinner pushed itself up, one hand still holding its face. It stumbled to its feet, staggering sideways before catching itself on the wall. Black blood leaked through its claws, dripping onto the floor and over its uniform. It lowered its hand, revealing blood where Lara's knuckles split its skin. Melody gaped in astonishment. It was hurt! Lara actually hurt it!

"You parasite! You squealing un-bred sow!" it snarled, spitting out blood and wiping its face on its arm. "You'll pay for that with your life! I'll kill every one of you monkeys! But you'll be the first to go!"

"You want them?" Lara lifted her sword and swung down, cutting the air audibly. "Then you'll have to go through me! I swear you won't get a scratch on them, even if I have to fight you till dawn!"

"Empty promises!" The skinner screamed and charged, leaning low so its claws scraped and sparking along the floor. "You won't live to see first light!"

"Eric, sword!" shouted Lara, reaching her hand back as she ran to meet her foe.


The raven watched from atop the garden willow as the man-eating monster rushed at Lara. He heard her call to Eric for his sword. It was a wise decision. She would need another weapon to hold off those claws.

Unfortunately, Eric was too rushed and pained. He drew the sword back to throw her way, but his urgency compromised his technique and aggravated his ribs. The raven foresaw its spin, speed, and direction before it left his hand. As it was Lara would catch the cutting edge with her bare hand, a detriment that could cost them all dearly.

The raven's eyes glowed brighter, his magic reaching into the palace.


Eric did not notice the spark that flashed between his fingertip and the sword, altering its flight straight for Lara's hand. It sailed to her and she caught the hilt on the fly and in the knick of time, rock-hard claws and sharpened steel clashing together a moment later. Lara and the skinner pushed against one another like a pair of fighting bulls, their feet sliding against the floor. Jaws clenched and muscles strained as they struggled for grip, black eyes locked with golden ones.

The skinner's long tongue shot for Lara's eyes. She jerked her head to the side and it flew past her ear, grazing a pair of her ear spikes. She could smell the poison on it, acidic and sharp. Lara gave a shove and forced the skinner back, sweeping its claws aside. She pulled her left leg up and kicked hard, driving her heel into its chest. Again it went flying away, except this time it flipped over and landed in a crouch, claws scratching over the floor as it skidded to a stop. It screamed at her, angered at being struck yet again.

Lara gave Eric's sword a twirl, feeling its weight and balance. It was more ornamental than she cared for, and she had never liked the shape of short swords. But she could feel the quality in the steel, how expertly the counterweight respected the blade. A king's sword through and through, and she was glad to have it.

"Everyone out of here!" she ordered. "Now!"

Hearing such urgency in her voice snapped Eric out of his panicked daze. "What about you?"

"I can handle this!" she said as she ran at the skinner, which was already upright again. "Just go! Get everyone out and find the guards! Lock this place down!"

Lara crossed her blades and slashed at the skinner. It darted back a step and then swung at her head. She deflected its claws overhead with Eric's sword and spun around for its stomach, only for the monster's other hand to block her. It leaned in to bite, Lara's neck was saved when she rolled away, swinging a leg up so her bare heel clipped its jaw.

Eric was more experienced with giving orders than taking them. But hearing and seeing the skinner's maw snap shut like a bear trap within inches of Lara's skin told him taking her counsel was essential to them seeing sunrise. "Everyone get your children, and quickly! Grimsby, take the lead! We need the shortest path outside!"

"Th-that would be the northern tower!" stammered the advisor, glancing as Lara and the skinner clashed again.

"Then that's where we go! First guard you see, you tell them to raise the alarm! I want every soldier awake and the palace emptied! Now go!"

There was no need to repeat or insist. The Atlantican royals were already running back to their families, Grimsby chasing after them. Eric started to run after him but stumbled, his ribs especially painful now that the bruising and swelling had settled in. Ariel and Melody quickly lent their strength, supporting him between them.

"Where are we going?" asked Melody.

"Atlantica!" said Eric, flashing his ring on his right hand. "If we can get to the ocean we'll be safe! Hopefully that thing can't swim!"

Ariel looked back over her shoulder as she heard swords and claws collide again. "But Lara–!"

"You heard what she said, Ariel!" interjected Eric. "We can't do anything against that thing! Let her and the guards handle it!"

Melody cast a last glance back and saw Lara swing her father's sword down at the skinner. The creature dodged, the sword sparking as it struck the floor. It swiped at her midsection, forcing Lara to sidestep as she swung her own sword at its head. The skinner leapt back and then darted in, thrusting both hands to spear her. Lara held her swords parallel to her sides and spun, deflecting the deadly claws before throwing a hard elbow into its stomach. It staggered backwards and tripped, landing flat on its back.

Lara noticed Melody looking at her and scowled. "What are you staring at, idiot!? Go!"

Melody clutched a hand to her chest, watching Lara dash after the skinner as it ran away. It was small next to the fright that held her, but the smallest glimmer of hope was in her heart. Like the first droplets of rain upon a parched desert. A hope that maybe, just maybe, Lara could follow through on that oath she took in the pavilion.


Lara skidded around the corner and into the opposite wall. Immediately she took off running again, her quarry still thirty feet in front of her. She had forgotten how fast these creatures were. Even with her abilities her legs were pumping furiously just to keep it in sight. It would be far easier to use magic to take it down, but given she was in a well-occupied palace that was not an option. She would have to resort to physical means to subdue it. Her bare feet slapped against the floor as she pursued, leaning forward as far as she dared.

The skinner glanced back as it neared a corner. It sent an angry hiss her way and dug its left hand into the wall, the grating of claws against stone sending up sparks as it slowed and swung itself sharply around the bend. Lara worked her legs faster, already anticipating a hard stop of her own.

She just started to decelerate when clawed hands swung out from behind the corner, aiming to take her head and stomach. Lara barely moved her swords in time, deflecting the claws away as she slid past. Her left foot caught on the floor and she tripped, tumbling head over heels. The skinner's ghoulish face filled her vision as she rolled herself upright, tongue lashing out for her eyes as it swiped again for her neck. Her swords kept the claws at bay as she jerked her head back, the poisonous appendage barely tickling her nose as it went by. She threw herself into a backflip and her foot caught the skinner's jaw, snapping it shut and cleanly severing its tongue. It screeched as she landed and spun in place, thrusting Eric's sword for its neck. It batted the blade aside and then blocked her own sword, but missed the high kick she threw into its throat. It quickly pulled its head back but her heel still connected. On humans the throat was a soft and fragile target. On the skinner Lara felt like she hit the trunk of a tree.

The skinner staggered back, shrieking and spitting black as it rubbed its throat. It leered spitefully at Lara, glancing at its tongue writhing spastically at her feet. She flicked the poisonous appendage to the wall with her sword, its sinuous twitching motions slowing.

"Sorry, I don't do tongue," she said, resting her swords over her shoulders. "Not on a first date at least."

The skinner glared daggers at her and hissed. It tried to speak but only made harsh raspy sounds.

"Bite your tongue?" asked Lara. "Or stunned speechless that a 'monkey'got you?"

The skinner narrowed its eyes, not amused by the puns. "You think taking my tongue is enough to intimidate me?"

"A girl can hope," said Lara, lowering Eric's sword to her side.

The skinner hissed again, its teeth grinding together. "Then see you how mistaken you are!"

The skinner opened its mouth wide, revealing the wriggling stump of tongue in its black stained mouth. The flesh writhed and squirmed then suddenly grew out, reforming the tongue in moments as the blood was resorbed.

Lara's mouth twisted in a half-scowl. "Not this again."

"Who's the quiet one now, whelp?" snickered the skinner. "You seem unsettled. Did you not know we heal faster than you humans?"

"No," said Lara. "I knew that. The others did the same thing. Just not that fast…or a whole tongue."

The skinner grinned wickedly at her. "Then you've never fought a skinner at its prime. You humans only heal at one rate–slow. But not us. Our bodies heal relative to what we eat. The more we take in the faster we recover, even from the worst injuries."

Its tongue snaked out, licking the back of its claws. "And I've eaten more than my fill the last few days. A tongue is nothing for me."

Lara's lip curled in disgust as she readied her swords. "It won't matter what you've eaten if I take your head off!"

"No, it won't." The skinner's claws elongated further. "So take it…if you can!"

They charged each other head on, shrieking and shouting respectively. The skinner swung at Lara's face and she parried up with her sword. She quickly stabbed back with Eric's sword, aiming for its left eye. The skinner moved to slash her arm before she struck, but Lara deftly turned her stab into a parry, keeping the claws away. The skinner lunged to bite but Lara drove the pommel of her sword into its head as she stepped on its foot. The skinner leaned away as she tried to slash its neck but stumbled backwards when its foot was released. Lara kept after it, spinning around and slashing at the creature with both swords. The skinner blocked her, but Lara kept up the assault. She kept spinning and slashed at its claws again before sweeping for its legs, first with her own leg and then Eric's sword.

The skinner jumped over her leg and then thrust its right hand down, its claws stopping the sword. It made to slash Lara in the face and she moved to guard with her sword, but suddenly it pulled its swipe and kicked her in the cheek. Lara spun like a top and landed face first on the floor. She tasted blood in her mouth and her cheek was throbbing, but she did not stop to fret and quickly rolled onto her back.

The skinner was in midair above her, slashing down with its claws to rip her open. Lara brought her swords up and blocked the lethal claws, feeling the air off them as they struck. She pulled her legs up and kicked into its chest, launching the skinner away. She quickly got to her feet, wiping a trickle of blood from her mouth and tonguing a loose tooth, feeling it anchor back into place.

Already the skinner had landed and was coming at her again. It crossed its arms and slashed like a pair of scissors. Short on time Lara ducked under and turned, driving her elbow into the skinner's gut. Again she felt how inhumanly solid its body was, but she also felt its stomach give under her strike. It skidded back but did not fall. She quickly swept her sword around, forcing it to hop over. Her leg quickly followed, catching its ankle and tripping it mid jump.

But instead of falling into a heap the skinner went on the offensive. It twisted around to fall on top of her, its right claws sticking in the floor and trapping her sword while the left went for her face. She managed to redirect the claws with Eric's sword, but they still left a trio of lacerations on her cheek and neck. She moved to swing Eric's sword at its neck, but the skinner caught it in its claws. One of the claws stuck through the hilt of Eric's sword and cut across her fingers. Lara's hold loosened momentarily, giving the skinner an opening to flick the weapon away. The sword flew through a window and out into the garden below.

The monster lunged for her neck, mouth open wide enough to encompass her head as its left claws came back for her side. Lara released her sword, grabbing its neck and wrist before it could bite her. Its tongue lashed out, forcing her to grab it with her right hand as she quickly pulled her legs up and clinched them around the skinner's neck, restricting its range of motion and those devastating jaws. She squeezed tight with her legs, hoping to stop the flow of blood to its head.

Suddenly the skinner pulled its right claws free and stabbed at her head. She quickly ripped the creature's tongue out and grabbed its hand, the claws slicing her palm in the process. The skinner shrieked and got its feet, lifting her off the ground. It turned to the wall and charged, slamming her into it. Lara felt like someone clubbed her in the back with an oar, but she did not lax her hold even when the skinner reared up and slammed her against the floor. It snapped at her again, spraying black over her face as it tried to bite her stomach. She held on tight, but even with her strength it was a struggle to keep the claws and teeth at bay. Her wounds were healing slowly as well, her ability hampered by the secretions lacing those claws.

The skinner screamed in frustration as it swung around, smacking her against the wall again before once more driving her into the floor. One of its claws scratched over her chest, drawing twin lines of red on her skin. Lara twisted its wrist sharply, angling the claws away from her.

"I'm going to relish skinning you!" shrieked the skinner, sounding utterly psychotic in its eagerness to kill her. "I'll flay you slowly! I want to see the pain in your eyes as you bleed out! But not before I stick you on the wall to watch your friends die!"

Lara grit her teeth, grunting as she fought to control the skinner's head. "Not…gonna… happen!"

The skinner drove her into the wall again, pressing in as it slowly forced her arms back. "You've lasted the longest of all my meals! But you never had a chance! No human can kill me! Especially not an unarmored female playing monster hunter!"

Lara managed a strained grin. The skinner scowled, snapping at her stomach again till she clinched her legs tighter.

"What's so funny?" it snarled.

"What you…just said!" answered Lara. "That I never…had a chance!"

Lara grit her teeth as her body started consuming her magic. Her eyes began to glow as the veins on her arm swelled. She felt new strength flow into her, and she quickly turned it on the skinner. The monster suddenly found its claws being forced back. It bore down even harder, but only succeeded in slowing her.

"I was thinking the same about you!" she shouted.

Lara leaned back and then slammed her forehead against the skinner's brow. It tottered back, skin split and dazed by how hard she hit. Lara sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs to the brim as she released the skinner's neck.

So much for not using magic.

"Tempes-ta!"

The last vowel came out with a force like a canned tornado kicked down a flight of stairs. It struck the skinner square and sent it flying away, striking the wall between a pair of windows. The glass blew outwards as the skinner bounced off and landed hard on the floor.

Lara was thrown back against the wall but quickly landed on her feet. She dashed back to her sword as the skinner got up, clutching its undoubtedly black-bruised chest.

"How's that for playing monster hunter?" she asked, taking a stance with her sword ready.

"You! That was magic!" exclaimed the skinner. "You're a witch!"

"That's sorceress to you, rot breath!" snapped Lara.

The skinner snarled, baring its teeth. "So that's how you defeated the beast! You used magic to enhance yourself! I should've known there was something off about you! Only thing I hate more than humans are magic ones!"

"Then you should think twice about what I said!" said Lara. "I have killed your kind before, and I won't hesitate to kill you! But I'd rather not…yet!"

The skinner narrowed its eyes. "Why?"

"I've got questions! A lot of questions! So you'll be keeping your head till I get answers, but no promises on afterwards!"

The skinner scowled at her, hissing between its teeth. "Don't get ahead of yourself, ape!"

Lara was prepared for the skinner to come at her again, but instead it dragged its palms over its claws. It pressed hard, coating the claws in its own blood. Then it spun around, flinging black droplets all about. They spattered on glass, stone and wood, flecking specks everywhere.

Lara held her sword tighter. The skinner retracted its claws and placed its palms on the floor, smearing a circle around itself. This was new, and she did not like it one bit. "What are you doing?"

A confident and unsettling grin appeared on the skinner's face. "You're not the only one who knows magic here!"

Lara's eyes widened in alarm as the skinner smeared its face black, muttering a mix of strange words and noises. Threats of magic were nothing to take lightly, real or bluffed. And unknown magic was especially dangerous. She had to stop it before the spell finished or she could be in a world of trouble!

Her foot barely left the ground when the skinner clapped its hands together with a wet smack and shouted, "Këko gaken!"

The skinner flung its arms wide and sprouted its claws. The circle of blood burst out in a black wave, coating the walls, ceiling, and skinner. The black joined with the spreading spatters to cover all with darkness. Snaking tendrils surged over the windows, blocking out the moonlight. Lara skidded to a halt, watching the shadows spread overhead and come together behind her. She started running to the other end, hoping to escape before the spell could ensnare her. But she waited too long. The shadows reached the end of the hall and closed in, entrapping her in darkness.

Lara stopped, taking in the sudden change to her surroundings. Everything was black and silent save her own sounds. There was nothing to hear much less see. Just darkness all around her, silent as the grave. Worse was knowing the skinner was in here with her. And she had a bad feeling it was not so handicapped.

"Okay…that's a new trick," she said. "Don't suppose you've ever played Marc—ah!"

Her right forearm was slashed from elbow to wrist. She cried out and swung her sword in the direction of the strike, but all she cut was air. The pain in her arm was intense, as though scalding razors had been dragged over her skin. She felt her blood running, the grip in her right hand weakened. It was a bad cut.

"What's wrong, human?" taunted the skinner. "Having trouble seeing in the dark?"

Lara strained her ears as the skinner laughed, trying to pinpoint it. It had to be moving, waiting for her to present an opening. In this black she could understand not seeing it, but why could her ears not find it?

"Over here."

Lara spun and slashed, only to strike emptiness. Her left thigh was then cut across the front, dropping her to one knee. She swung again and missed. Her breathing was faster, pulse rising from the pain and the early onset of panic.

"Did you think I was helpless against magic? That your spells would turn the tide in your favor so easily?" The skinner laughed again. "You're not the first magic monkey I've killed with this curse, and you won't be the last!"

"So that's your game!" spat back Lara, straining her ears to find its position. "Just hide in the dark and wear me down! Too afraid to fight me head on, you coward?"

It struck again, raking down her thigh. Lara bit back a scream as searing pain shot through her leg, staggering onto her hands and knees. A knee connected with her face, sending her rolling away and bloodying her lip and nose.

The skinner laughed, clearly enjoying its newfound advantage as she pushed herself upright. "Goading won't work on me! Save your breaths for screaming! And don't try casting any more spells either! Not unless you want to bleed out faster!"

Lara decided to go for it anyway. "Clay–!"

The skinner slammed into her from behind, pinning her to the ground. A hand shoved her head down as teeth bit into her shoulder. She screamed when the skinner shook its head like a shark, the teeth shredding into her. She tried to swing her sword back at it, but its other hand grabbed her wrist.

As quickly as it attacked the skinner released her. It grabbed her neck and flung her away. She landed flat on her back, knocking her head and the wind out of her. She groaned and tried to move her right arm, only to have her shoulder flare with pain. She clenched her jaw tight, unwilling to give her tormenter the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. The panic was becoming real, her heartbeat growing louder in her ears.

"You should see yourself," hissed the skinner. "Not so brave or dangerous anymore. Just a frightened child swinging her toy sword at shadows. You're no more a threat to me than a worm." It gave a foul cackle as she staggered upright, weight heavy on her good leg. "Yes…that's it. That's what you are now. A wriggling blind worm."

The skinner laughed again, now imitating her voice in a twisted mockery. "You humans think yourselves so superior. That your knowledge, swords, technology, and magic make you the ruling species of this world. But strip that away and all you are is weak. Soft, sickly pink rats shivering in the wilds. Feeble to the core. Utterly helpless. Terrified apes waiting for something to devour you."

Lara strained her ears for the skinner, but she could not get a fix on it. Its voice seemed to come from everywhere. She felt something cut her chest and leapt back, swatting at where she thought it was. Again she hit nothing. Keeping her right hand on the sword was agony, each shift of her arm moving her damaged shoulder.

"You bastard!" she shouted, angered by its taunting and her inability to stop it. She grunted as she forced her right hand to hold the sword again, sending pain shooting up her arm.

She heard claws scraping each other as it chuckled evilly. "I'm going to enjoy this, witch. I'll teach you what happens when you stand up to a skinner. You will die. Not quickly or painlessly. But you will die. Once you've taken your last breath, I'll use your princess and her family to sate my hunger. Then I'll walk out of here in your skin and disappear."

Lara bit the back of her lip piercing, her wounds tingling as they healed at a snail's pace. She had to think. Despite her racing heart and the mounting fear, she had to get control of herself. Just slashing blindly when she got cut was going to get her killed. It was too fast to mount a counter in time. She could not use her magic for the same reason. For all she knew it was standing right beside her, just waiting for her to speak. She would be dead before she finished her shortest spell. She had no chance to use that either, and not just because she refused to. It was not something she could call out in an instant. It took time and far more energy than she had. But she had to do something! If she did not this monster was going to kill her and then go after everyone else!

Her heart was a drum in her ears. Her left arm trembled, making the sword rattle. She was scared now. Afraid, alone, and trapped in silent darkness with a creature she could not see.

Just like when…


"Gah!"

Lara went stumbling into the dark as her father shoved her from behind. Her foot caught on a rock and she tripped, falling on the floor and splitting her lip. She started to get up but stopped, feeling the tip of his bokken at the base of her skull. She clenched her jaw and fists. He got her again! Just like before, and the time before that, and the time before that, and the times before that she had lost count of. Just like she had lost count of the days in this sunless place.

"Focus!" her father said firmly. "Use your senses!"

Lara spun around and slashed her own bokken at him. She hit nothing, but heard him scamper off to the side. She lunged and swung down, but the weights on her ankles and wrists caused her to misjudge her momentum. She stumbled forward, only to have a bokken smack into her stomach and drive the wind out of her. She collapsed to her knees and swung back, again hitting emptiness.

"Heed your instincts!" he said. "Don't swat at every sound! Find me before you swing!"

Lara stood up, spitting out blood as her lip knit back together. "I'm trying!"

Suddenly a bokken rapped the top of her head. She quickly clutched the egg that was surely growing on her skull as her eyes watered. It hurt. It really, really hurt.

Lara's frustration was reaching its limit. She turned and stabbed at where she thought her father was. When she hit nothing she just kept going, yelling as she sliced and slashed in blind hope of hitting him.

"Your trying needs work," commented her father, his tone telling her exactly how unimpressed he was.

"Try this!" she shouted back, raising her bokken overhead. "Tals—!"

Suddenly her bokken was struck so violently it flew from her hands, followed by a sharp rap on her head. Lara danced about clutching her head, trying hard not to cry or curse out loud.

Her father snapped his fingers. Immediately hundreds of sunstones came to life, filling the cavern with warm yellow light. The cave was massive, large enough to pass a ship through with room to spare. The granite and limestone were worn smooth by unknowable millennia of water's slow erosion. Boulders small as cantaloupes to large as herself were scattered everywhere, some alone and others in large piles. A wide pool occupied the middle of the cave, fed by hundreds of dripping stalactites overhead. The water was glass clear all the way to the bottom, revealing a shallow of piled shale and fallen stalactites sloping sharply downward.

"No magic!" said her father as he stood over her. "How many times must I remind you? You are not allowed any magic for this trial!"

"This trial's impossible!" shouted back Lara, glaring angrily up at him.

"Only because you think so."

"Then you know what I think!? I think I've had enough!" She stomped her way past him, intent on making the long trek back to daylight. She did not want to do so much as look at him anymore. For days they had been down in this dark dank hole, and for days she had been pushed, whacked, gut-punched, and tripped up in this blasted "trial" she was supposed to pass before she could progress. She had enough.

"Where do you think you're going?" her father asked.

"Home!" she shouted back as she removed her weights, throwing them angrily to the ground. "I'm done!"

"You'll be done when you are finished."

"Screw it!" she snapped back. "I've had it with you, this cave, and your stupid trial! I'm wet, I'm cold, I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm sore, and I'm going home!"

"Stop."

Lara ignored him, leaping onto a boulder and then to another.

"I said stop," ordered her father.

Lara kept going, leaping from boulder to boulder.

"Lara, come back here before I make you!"

Lara used a specific finger to show him exactly what she thought of coming back.

Suddenly she was launched into the air by an unseen force. She went flipping over and over before landing in the pool with an ungraceful belly flop. Her whole front stung as though she received a slap from a giant hand. She reached down with her foot and touched bottom, pushing off and breaching the surface. She gasped for air, quickly wading her way back to shore.

Her father approached the edge of the pool, looking cross as only he could. "Are you thinking clearly now?"

Lara scowled darkly. "Bite me, you old wind–!"

Her father pointed a finger at her and flicked down. Suddenly Lara was pushed back underwater and then abruptly hauled out, sputtering and coughing. Her father flicked down and she went under again, only to re-emerge just as quickly. She could not get her breath in fast enough before she was dunked back in. Up and under she went over and over before he stopped and levitated her to the pool's edge. Lara coughed and hacked, breathing hard and fast as she scowled up at him.

"What *cough cough* what was that!?" she yelled as she pulled herself out. "I thought *cough* I thought I was gonna drown! I couldn't breathe!"

"Make that gesture at me again and I'll hold you under till you have to," said her father as she shook out her hair. "You're done for today."

"Thank you for being sooooo merciful," said Lara, voice as dripping with sarcasm as she was with water. "I can barely wait for sunrise. Oh, wait! There isn't gonna be one 'cause there's no sun in here!"

"Your attitude won't make this any easier," warned her father. "You're frustrated, which makes you angry, which makes you impatient, which makes you careless, which leads to mistakes that only make you more frustrated. Pushing you any further today is a waste of our time, your energy, and my patience. Now cool that hot head of yours and straighten up so I can examine you."

Lara deepened her scowl. Given her father just made her a human bath toy after repeatedly knocking her over the head she was not feeling particularly obedient.

Her father narrowed his eyes. "Lara Anclagon, sit up and let me check you!"

"Or what?" she mouthed back.

"Or else you get an up close and personal view of the bottom of that pool, young lady!"

Grudgingly Lara pushed herself upright, sitting cross-legged in front of him. She kept her eyes on the floor as he pushed her hair back, checking her head for bumps and bruises. She winced as he touched an especially sore spot.

"Your fault," she muttered.

"Quiet," said her father flatly. She felt the soreness wane as he used his magic to heal her, a warmth spreading over her body.

She drew a breath and sighed, shoulders dropping heavily. "Let's just go home."

"We will," replied her father. "Once you've completed the trial."

"I can't."

"You can and will."

Lara brushed his hand away. "No, I can't!"

Her father arched a brow. "You can't, or you believe you can't?"

"It's the same thing!"

"Hardly."

"Just…ugh!" Lara got up and grabbed a rock, throwing it at the pool. It hit the water with a loud splash, sending ripples across the surface. "This is impossible! I get what you're trying to teach me about using my senses and not relying on magic and all that, but this is too much! It's way beyond me! I have enough trouble hitting you in broad daylight! How am I supposed to do it in the dark without magic and all that weight on me!? It's not fair!"

"Life is not fair," said her father, coming to stand beside her. "And you must be able to protect yourself when the odds are turned against you. Nor will magic always be available to you. Depending on magic has been the death of many mages, and I won't have you joining them if I can help it."

He took a step back. "Although…perhaps a different strategy? Yes, now would be as good a time as any."

Lara groaned, sensing another of his "lessons" was about to start. "A good time for what?"

Suddenly the cave went dark. Lara found herself back in the shadows, unable to see her own hand in front of her face. The image of the cave lingered in her eyes and then disappeared into the black.

"Oh for the love of…enough already!" she shouted, voice echoing through the cave. "Cut me a break!"

She waited for her father to reply but it never came. All she heard was the water falling from the ceiling, adding drop by drop to the pool below. The plinkings echoed all through the cavern, creating a chorus like light rain.

Lara folded her arms over her chest. "Whatever you're planning I'm not doing it!"

She sat there, anticipating her father to say something to try and galvanize her into action. But all she got was quiet.

"Hey! Answer me! Dad, I know you can hear me!"

A strange chirping noise cut into the quiet. It bounced all around the cave, as though mapping out every nook and crevice it touched. It sounded again, echoing on top of the previous sound.

Lara started feeling uneasy. She felt like something was watching her. "Dad? Are you doing that?"

Something scurried in front of her, growling as it went. Lara jumped aside as her heart leapt into her throat. It sounded big and not friendly.

"Okay dad! Ha ha, very funny!" she called, not humored at all. "You got me! You can bring the light back now!"

A high-pitched shriek pierced the cavern, causing Lara to crouch and cover her ears. She heard pebbles come loose from the walls as things scurried and crawled about, as startled by the noise as she was. And here she was thinking they were alone.

Suddenly something flew into her hair. Lara screamed, swatting and pawing frantically at her head. She felt spindly legs and strong wings beating against her head, accompanied by angry buzzing and a furry body. It only made her try harder to dislodge whatever was entangled in her hair. She gave a final hard swat and it came free, the buzz circling around her before it flew away.

"Okay, not funny anymore!" said Lara. "Seriously, bring the lights back!"

The growling scurrying something came in her direction, steps growing louder quickly. Lara leapt back from it, but instead of stone she landed in water. She quickly struck bottom and fell back, submerging completely. She righted herself and found air, the water only coming to her midriff.

She heard the creature approach the pool and slide in with a quiet ripple. She needed light now. She needed to know what she was up against.

She raised her hands overhead, palms to the cavern ceiling. "Lux!"

A tiny ball of orange light appeared in her hands. The light was weak, only illuminating a small radius around her. The once mirror smooth water was choppy and moving, making the stones below undulate as though they were alive.

A long dark something swam into her circle of light, headed right for her.

"AAAAHHHH!" Lara lurched back, her foot catching between two rocks. She fell into the water, her spell snuffed out as she went under.

Something wet and slimy brushed along her right arm and cheek. Every drop of adrenaline her body possessed was released along with a stream of bubbles from her mouth as she screamed. She jerked her foot free and scrambled upright, wading as fast as she could towards what she hoped was shore. Instead the water got deeper. She was in full-blown panic now, made worse when she heard the creature breach the water to suck in air before slipping under.

"Dad! Dad, help me! Get me outta here!" she cried out. "There's something in the water! Something's after me!"

She felt the ripples lapping against her thighs. She heard a splash to her left. It was coming back!

"Get away!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, smacking the water in the hope it would scare the creature off. "Go! Go away!"

Suddenly the ground shifted under her feet. Jaws clamped around her right ankle, holding her fast. Lara screamed in fright, kicking her leg in the creature's maw as it held her tight. Its eyes started glowing blue, first two and then three, four, and five more. They lit up one after the other, each turning brighter and brighter.

"Dad! Help me!" she pleaded. She was so scared she was starting to cry.

A single vein of sunstone glowed above, filling the cavern with the weakest of light and revealing her attacker.

Rocks. Her ankle was caught in a wedge between two large slabs of shale. What she thought were teeth were the rough edges. She was less than ten feet from the shore. She stopped her frantic splashing.

The glowing eyes swam away from her with an undulating motion. But they were not eyes at all. They were luminescent spots on the body of a four-foot-long salamander. The amphibian was ghostly pale and eyeless, long feelers extending from its snout. It swam slowly, as though it had never known urgency in its life.

"Not so scary when you can see him, is he?"

Lara looked to her side, seeing her father at the edge of the pool. A moth the size of a crow hovered around the glowing white orb in his hand, producing the buzzing sound she heard earlier. He waved a hand at the moth and it quickly flew away, zipping over to a nearby boulder.

The salamander started swimming towards her. Lara jerked on her leg, wanting to get out of the water before it got any closer.

"Calm down," said her father. "Ora salamanders only eat stone worms. You're as much a meal to him as you are to this cave moth."

Lara got her foot free and quickly waded to shore, not wanting to test her father's knowledge. The salamander continued swimming towards her and then turned away, heading for the deeper waters of the pools as its lights went out.

"You…it was you!" shouted Lara as she hauled herself out, water running off her in thick droplets. "The noises! And the scream! That was all you!"

"The shriek, yes," he admitted. "But only that. The rest came from the residents of this cave."

The hairs on Lara's neck stood up, imagination conjuring grotesque twisted beasts hiding among the rocks and shadows. "What sort of residents?"

"Insects, mostly. More that is invisible to the naked eye. You won't find anything larger than the salamander, though. You and I are the largest and most dangerous creatures here."

Lara shivered at the chilly air passing over her wet skin and settling nerves. She looked at her ankle and saw the skin was red from her struggle but little more. She lay down on her back, closing her eyes as her racing heart and breathing slowed.

"You scared me to death," she said.

"That was the point."

"The point!?" She propped herself on her elbows, wiping away hair that fell over her face. "You practically gave me a heart attack! I thought I was gonna get eaten out there! Why did you do that!? What was I supposed to learn from thinking I was gonna die!?"

"To know fear of the dark."

Lara gaped at her father like a fish. "You…what?"

Her father knelt down to her. "When you were in the dark, what did you see?"

"I couldn't see anything. It was pitch black thanks to you."

"And what did you feel?" he continued.

"Scared! Frightened! Afraid!"

"Of what?"

"That huge salamander and that moth thing!"

"You say that now. But did you know what you were hearing at the time? Did you know what touched you?"

Lara wiped water out of her eyes. "Well, no. It was too dark."

"Then what did you think they were?"

Lara spotted the moth clinging to the boulder. It looked incredibly fragile in the light. Its furry body was white as snow, its large feathery antennae moving about languidly. Its wings were translucent as frosted glass. She saw no eyes.

"It was not a salamander you saw in the pool," added her father. "And you did not feel a moth drawn to the salt in your sweat. You thought something was attacking your head. You thought something was hunting you in the water. You thought it bit you when your foot became stuck. You were terrified by a pair of harmless creatures only curious to your presence. Not aggressive or dangerous, yet you thought they were. Why?"

"Because…because I couldn't tell what they were," she answered, still watching the moth.

"Why?" he pressed.

As though sensing her eyes the moth crawled into a crevice, wedging itself securely in the space.

"Because I couldn't see them," said Lara.

Her father nodded. "Exactly. You could not see them. Without your sight you turned to your remaining senses for guidance. But instead of guiding you they terrorized you, turning something harmless into a threat."

He dipped a finger into the pool, sending out smooth even ripples that stilled its surface. The salamander re-emerged from the deep, its lights glowing brighter as the sunstones went dark. Soon the cavern was illuminated only by the salamander's haunting luminescence, as though it were a spirit emerging from another realm.

"Step in, Lara," said her father as the salamander approached. "To your waist."

Lara gulped. "With that thing?"

"Either you go in on your own or I put you in."

Deciding she did not want to experience another impromptu high-dive into the pool Lara slowly lowered herself in. She cautiously waded out, gasping as the cold water crept up her legs and stomach. She kept going till it was just short of her ribs. Her eyes were glued to the glowing salamander as it turned towards her, prompting her to step back.

"Dad…?"

"He won't harm you unless you harm him first."

Lara held her breath as the salamander closed in. She thought it would run into her, but at the last moment it changed direction and went along the outside of her calf.

She felt a gentle pressure urging her hands into the water. Her father's magic no doubt. She swallowed nervously but obeyed, letting them dip below the surface. The large amphibian swam up to one and stopped, head moving around as it blindly scrutinized her. Up close she could see how pale its skin was, translucent to the point she could see the veins and arteries pulsing beneath. It opened its mouth and licked her with a thick pale pink tongue, the forked tip tickling her palm. Then it swam on, rubbing against her hand before circling around for another pass. Its wrinkly skin was slimy but soft and smooth as well, not at all warty or rough like a toad.

"It's…not afraid," said Lara, awestruck as the salamander brushed against her other hand and then down her leg.

"And yet he cannot see or hear you," said her father. "He is less afraid of you than you are of him, and he is completely blind and deaf. His ancestors evolved to this darkness long before you were born, and his progeny will continue to after you leave. See how he does not run away from your touch, or aimlessly bump into you. He has no concept of sight or sound, yet he is not hindered in the slightest. Just because he cannot see or hear you does not make him afraid of your smell or the feel of your skin. He knows your intent and your presence."

The salamander passed by Lara again, making her giggle as it brushed over her stomach. It felt very strange against her skin, but not icky or unpleasant. It circled around behind her, passing across her lower back and then her hand before swimming off, its light fading out as it returned to the deep. Lara felt a bit sad to see it go, wishing she could have more time to understand it.

"Humans don't fear the dark, Lara," said her father. "They fear what it can hide, real or imagined. Without their eyes they are little more than helpless, blind fumbling babes. Their fear commands their senses. Everything becomes a threat. They look into the dark and see death. They hear footsteps in broken branches and wolves in the scurrying of mice. They feel breath instead of wind and eyes where there are none. To them the dark is a vast unknown of danger and pain. Do not let blindness turn you to fear. When your eyes fail turn to your instincts. Meld them with your senses. Quiet your thoughts. Open your awareness to all and you'll gain perception that goes beyond physical sense. You will see in blackest pitch, hear in deafest silence, and feel in utter stillness. No one will be able to hide from you. The world will be clear to you with or without light."

The light of the salamander faded completely, leaving Lara and her father in the black once more.

"You will walk into the darkness, and your path will be clear."


The skinner raked Lara's lower back, causing her to scream again. Then it kicked her between the shoulders, sending her rolling away. She quickly righted herself only to fall on one knee as her right leg refused to support her.

"You're tougher than I expected, monkey!" jeered the skinner. "Most humans would have bled out by now. But how much blood do you have left to spill?"

Lara grimaced, clenching her eyes shut as she lowered herself to both knees. She could feel how deeply her back was cut. The pain was screaming at her like an ear-splitting whistle, but she refused to acknowledge it. Not now, when she so desperately needed her mind elsewhere.

She lowered her sword, holding it loosely in front of her. She straightened her back despite the pain it caused, keeping still as she controlled her breaths. The pain made her want to clench up, but she forced herself to relax, concentrating on her heartbeat. Pain was her body telling her it was damaged. Signals running along nerves to her mind. Nothing more. She just had to stop focusing on it.

"What, have you given up?" called the skinner. "Have you finally accepted your death? Or did I hit a nerve to your legs?"

Lara ignored the monster, listening only to her heart and breath. She willed them to slow, emptying her thoughts with each breath. Fear, anxiety, anger, and then pain slipped away. Her pulse slowed rapidly, breaths coming smoother and quieter. The world faded to nothing but herself. Only her heartbeats occupied her mind, and then those too slipped away.

Dub-dub…dub-dub…dub-dub…

Dub-dub…dub-dub…

Dub-dub…

Dub…dub…

Dub…dub…

Dub…

She entered a silence separate from sound. She felt incredibly calm, like a tree swaying in the breeze. Her breathing was so slow she could not feel it. She felt the slight pause between the right and left sides of her heart as it pumped slow but strong. She was quiet. She let her senses reach out, expanding her awareness into the dark.

Her surroundings became clear to her. She was not in some separate space. She was still in the hall. She saw the windows and doors. She saw the paintings, statues, and furniture. She saw the arched ceiling above, the crystal chandeliers hanging still in the dark. She saw herself within it, eyes closed and body still.

And she saw the skinner standing in front of her, drawing its claws back to run her through.

Her body and mind returned to full alertness instantly. She lunged forwards, slashing upwards at the skinner. She was rewarded with a startled and pained shriek as her blade found it. She spun and slashed again, cutting the skinner the other way. It shrieked even louder and leapt away, its movements no longer silent.

Lara thrust her sword overhead and shouted, "Claymore, flash!"

The sword shone like a star, shooting beams of light into the dark. Lara squinted against the brilliance as the skinner screamed, blinded by the flare. The shadow cage shattered like glass, falling away to nothing. Moonlight and sound returned to the hallway, and so did her sight. She saw her own blood over the floor, a trail of darker blood leading away.

The skinner knelt in the middle of the hall, clutching the large bleeding "X" on its chest. The tabard was stained black with blood. Distressed shrieks and screams came from its gaping mouth, its claws retracted lest it cut itself.

"X marks the spot," said Lara as she stood, swinging her sword to scatter the skinner's blood.

The skinner snapped its head up, face twisted with furious confusion. "Impossible! I had you! You were blind! Deaf! Beaten! I split your back open! I ravaged your limbs! Your head should be in my hands! How did you strike me!? How did you break my curse!? How are you standing!?"

Lara answered by turning her back to it. "Nagate."

Her wounds burned and then tingled with a vengeance as her healing set to work in full. She peered over her shoulder, seeing the skinner's beady black eyes widen as her wounds stitched together and closed up, leaving only drying blood and torn fabric to mark them.

"It'll take more than your cat scratches to cripple me," she said, turning to face it once more. She wiped her bloodied cheek, feeling no cut against the back of her hand. "Try more to the right next time. I've got this itch below my shoulder I can never reach."

The skinner snarled, veins and anger throbbing under its skin at her mocking. Its muscles swelled, straining against the fabric of its uniform till it tore, reducing it to rags and destroying its boots. The rest of its body was as pale and scarred as its face.

"You blasted witch!" it raged. "Don't you look down on me! I'll carve you to pieces!"

The skinner gave a piercing shriek and charged at her, moving even faster with clawed feet free to grip the floor. Lara ran to meet it, drawing her sword back in one hand. The skinner pulled an arm back and stabbed at her, its other claw moving in as it anticipated her sword block.

Instead of guarding with her sword Lara took the skinner's claws with her forearm. But instead of stabbing through they only embedded halfway. The pain was white-hot, but Lara bore it with clenched teeth and then a fiery yell, using her sword to block its other hand. She pulled her right leg in tight and leaned back, shooting her heel straight into the skinner's chin. It soared away and into a chandelier, knocking it down with a ruckus of smashed crystal and twisted metal.

Adrenaline and fury surged through Lara, causing her hair to bristle in full. She ran at the skinner as it extracted itself from the chandelier, drawing her sword back for a slash. It quickly ducked and lunged at her as she swung, its claws sweeping out to rake her stomach. Its disemboweling strike only left long cuts in her skin. Lara responded by spinning around and slashing down the back of its right arm as it dove past, rolling over and righting itself. She quickly stopped the skinner from lunging back when she threw a knife at it. The skinner was forced to hop back as the blade stuck where its foot had been.

Lara used its hesitation to make her move. "Claymore, ignite and burst!"

Her sword became wrapped in flames as she swept it in a wide circle. Every candle and lamp in the hall immediately lit and flared into plumes of roaring fire, licking up against the ceiling. The skinner whirled about, alarmed by the sudden outburst of fire.

Lara threw her head back, emptying her lungs as she shouted, "Davoro!"

Just as in the storming mountains months before, the flames came racing to Lara's call. They swam and weaved through the air, twining together into ribbons of fire. She opened her mouth wide and drew them in, swallowing them whole and fast. Her tattoos and piercings began to glow, her hair waving about wildly as the spiraling flames came to her. The wounds to her belly and arm healed over in moments. An aura of orange and red appeared around her, growing brighter as she consumed the fires.

The skinner shielded its face, hissing defensively at the heat and wind. "What is this!? What are you doing!? Stop! Stop it now!"

Lara had no intention of stopping. Not till she ate every wisp of flame. She kept going well past what she needed, drinking down the fire as it turned wax, wick, and oil into heat, vapor, and ash. In seconds the fires had consumed their fuel, lingering sparks chasing after fiery tails until she swallowed them too with a large gulp. Her sword extinguished, the metal cooling to its silver sheen as her tattoos and piercings went dark, taking her aura with it.

Lara rolled her neck and shoulders, giving her sword a twirl and a flick. She breathed deep, letting out a smoke and sparks as she exhaled. She felt rejuvenated and brimming with strength, even more than after Louis' feast. She had not felt this energized in a very long time. All that heat and fire had become energy inside her. She was buzzing with it from head to toe, loosening stiffness and banishing weariness. She felt light, as though her weight had been cut in half.

The quiet after the conflagration was like the still between a lightning flash and its thunder, and the skinner sensed it. It stepped back, watching Lara with new trepidation. "You…your wounds! What did you do? How!?"

"You're not the only one who heals better on a full stomach," she said, trace smoke coming from her nose and mouth. She held up her healed forearm, earning another retreating step from the skinner. "And you're not the only one who can see in the dark either. As for that curse of yours, it's a neat trick. But a trick's still a trick in the end, and now that I've seen through it…"

She drew her remaining knife and whistled sharply. The knife she threw leapt off the floor and flew to her, joining its twin in her hand.

"I can break it," finished Lara, holding her knives parallel to her sword. "Diffingo."

Her knives became encased in white fire. She felt them become fluid in her grasp, the metal shifting, lengthening and curving as it took new form. Then it went still and the flames disappeared, revealing the double-edged trench knife she now held. The blade was longer than its predecessors, her hand afforded greater protection by a guard over her fingers. She opened and closed her hand, adjusting her grip on the new knife.

The skinner growled, snarling like a rabid dog. "So you've regained a weapon! Don't think it will make a difference! There's only one way this ends for you!"

"Yeah! With my foot on your neck and you telling me everything I want!"

"That arrogance of yours will be your end, witch!"

"Not as much as yours!" snapped back Lara. "What was it you said to me? You're tougher than I expected. But how much blood do you have left to spill?"

She spun her sword at her side and then around her wrist. The blade sang beautifully, slicing the air with a pure clean sound. Then she pivoted it around her knife blade and caught the handle, whipping it sharply to her side. Moonlight ran up the blade as her eyes started to glow, making the steel gleam white.

A faint unconscious smile played at the corners of her mouth as she advanced on the skinner. "Let's find out!"

A lone dark cloud passed over the moon, casting the hall into darkness once more.


As it turned out, rousing Melody's cousins had been easy. All it took was for someone to say "monster in palace" and hear the distant shrieking, shouting, and screaming and they were awake and running out the doors in their slippers.

Which led to the problem of actually running. Walking was one thing, but running was another challenge altogether. Only Adella, Aquata, her husband Atlas, and Alana's husband Nemo had enough proficiency with their legs to do so with confidence. The rest were in various states of motion resembling running, some tottering but mobile while others were struggling just to stay upright. Slowing them further were the youngest of Melody's seventeen cousins who needed help to keep upright and, most importantly, calm.

Which was how Melody found herself holding hands with Andrina's twins Cora and Nora as they stumbled along through the halls. It was hard to keep a decent pace while bending over to their level without tripping on her nightgown. Adella was having no less trouble with her oldest son Percy, whose blindness only made it that much harder for him. Atlas was putting his powerful frame to use helping Eric while Nemo and Aquata were doing their best to keep everyone else on their feet. Ariel was up front with Grimsby, the advisor lighting the way by candle.

Melody could hear the distant clashing of swords and claws as they hurried through the halls. There was a brief time when everything went quiet, but then the clash started up again with a vengeance. Every so often she would hear Lara shouting and that monster shrieking.

A thundering boom caused everyone to slow and glance back. Melody wondered what could have happened to make that noise. It sounded like an explosion. Her curiosity momentarily enticed her to go back, but memory of the horrid creature's face was enough to dissuade any notion of the idea.

Cora stumbled again, yanking hard on Melody's arm and wrangling her attention. She quickly hauled the five-year old back onto her feet, gently pulling her along.

"Come on, Cora! You have to stay on your feet!" she said encouragingly, masking her fear with a smile. Moments later Nora did the same as her little legs began tiring.

"How much further?" asked Attina as she threw her arms out to keep from falling over yet again.

"Not long, your highness!" answered Grimsby, pointing to a sharp corner up ahead. "Just this next hall and we'll reach the stairs! That'll take us down to the ballroom and then to the beach!"

The moment Grimsby turned the corner, however, he stopped dead in his tracks. "What in–oomph!"

His sudden stop caused Ariel to bowl right into him, knocking both to the floor and snuffing out the candle. Everyone stopped, wary they had encountered some new danger waiting out of sight.

"Grimsby! Ariel! Are you okay?" asked Eric.

"We're fine!" said Ariel as she got up. "But we found the guards!"

Hope sprung anew in Melody. The guards! They were safe! The guards would protect them! They would raise the alarm and get them all to safety then go help Lara get rid of that monster!

"Then tell them to raise the alarm!" said Eric. "No, wait! Tell them to help Lara!"

"That's going to be a problem, sire!" answered Grimsby.

The hope Melody found abruptly faltered. "Why?"

"Because…come see for yourselves!"

Eric slipped out of Atlas' support to walk stiffly but quickly over. Melody followed close behind with the others, Cora and Nora clinging tight to her hands.

When they saw it they could not help but gasp. No wonder Grimsby reacted as he did.

Slumped along the hallway clear to the stairwell were palace guards, lined up like a collection of life-size dolls. And not just a handful either. If Melody had to make a guess, she would say the entire night guard was there. Not only that, but with all their weapons as well. Some had streaks of dried blood running down the sides of their head while others appeared unmarked.

Melody feared they were all dead. But then she heard groans and moans as several began to stir, their heads lolling about. She recognized one of the waking men as the guard captain she and her father spoke to after Lara left to the mountains. She quickly handed Nora and Cora over to their mother and rushed over to help him, Grimsby and Ariel following her.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked as she knelt beside him.

The captain blinked groggily at her. "Princess? Is that you?"

"What's going on? What happened here?" asked Ariel.

The captain rubbed the back of his head as he sat up, flinching when he touched a large swollen lump. "I don't–ow!–know. Where is here?"

"The fifth floor of the palace, by the northern stairwell," answered Grimsby.

"The fifth floor? But I was just in the gardens. How did I get here?" The captain shook his head and blinked, surveying his rousing fellow guards. "And what are they all doing here?"

"You don't remember coming here?" asked Ariel.

The captain shook his head weakly. "No, your majesty."

"What do you remember?" asked Grimsby.

"Last thing I remember was walking my rounds in the gardens. I was by the pavilion stairs. I looked out and…and then I woke up here. The rest is a blank." He took notice of Eric and the undersea royals standing around in their nightclothes. That and a far-off crash of broken glass. "Pardon my bluntness, sire, but what's going on?"

"Long story short, a monster snuck in disguised as a guard and tried to kill us," summarized Ariel. "And now Lara's fighting it."

That and hearing an inhuman shriek echo through the hall woke the captain right up. "A monster!? Where!?"

He quickly grabbed his spear and rose to his feet, using the pole to keep himself upright. Melody and Grimsby tried to help but he waved them off. The rest of the guards were starting to awaken. They groaned like zombies as they woke, just as confused and lacking in memory as the captain. The least concussed were quickly on their feet while the worst remained lying on the floor, nauseated just from trying to move.

"Your majesties!"

The sound of a soldier's voice, the growing glow of lantern light, and the jangling metal marching in time up the tower stairwell was music to Melody's ears. Moments later guards appeared at the stairs in triplet formation, their lanterns filling the hall with light as they dispersed to attend to their comrades and the royals.

A sergeant ran up to Eric and saluted. "Sire! Thank goodness you're…er, all right?"

Before Eric could speak the recovering captain staggered over, leaning on his spear for support. "Sergeant, report! What's our status? How many with you?"

The sergeant started to salute but stopped, realizing Eric had been about to say something.

"Go ahead," said Eric.

"Sir!" The sergeant finished his salute. "One of the guards heard the princess screaming and raised the alarm! We are on full alert! The palace is being evacuated as we speak! Forty men here, forty more heading to the south tower! The rest are evacuating the staff and securing the perimeter!"

"Captain, we need to get everyone to the shore!" said Eric. "But some of us are going to need help getting there! Are you and your men able?"

"We'll get you there, sire!" The captain straightened his cap on his head. "It'll take more than a knock on the skull to keep us down! Sergeant!"

"Sir!" The sergeant saluted so fast he knocked his hat off, quickly snatching it before trying another salute. The pheasant feather draped across his upper lip, giving him a uniquely colored false moustache.

"I want all able men awake and on their feet on the double! Five men stay here and tend to anyone who isn't! I want ten men on front and rear guard, weapons out! You lot, carry the little ones and make sure no one falls behind! The rest of you find Miss Anclagon and help her!"

Another shriek echoed through the dark halls, which was immediately followed by Lara yelling and the sergeant's armor chattering along with his teeth. "H-h-help her with wh-what, exactly!?"

"That monster she's fighting! Now get moving!"

Within minutes an escort of guards had been formed around the royal families. They flanked them front and back, swords in hand and on high alert. Others had assigned themselves to those who needed help. Cora and Nora were relieved of walking any further when a burly guard picked both up and placed them on his shoulders.

As Melody took the first steps down the stairs she peeked back at the remaining guards. Many were still out cold or too concussed to be of help. The shadows of their caretakers danced over the wall, cast in great size by the lanterns. The marching of the guards off to find Lara was faint beneath the noise of their own march, the light of their lanterns already gone from sight.

As glad as she was no one was dead or gravely wounded, Melody found the scene highly unsettling. Something about it was wrong. How could so many men, all trained soldiers, be taken by surprise and gathered here without anyone noticing? Not only that, it happened before they could draw their swords or raise the alarm. As tempting as it was to pin everything on the skinner, doing so did not sit well with her. Even in disguise it was only one monster, and someone would have seen a lone guard hauling unconscious men from the gardens. She did not believe it would have left them alive either. Not with that appetite for killing humans.

A chill ran down Melody's neck, making her shiver. She had a feeling there was someone or something else in the castle with them.

If she had bothered to look up, Melody would have seen four thin red eyes watching her from the shadows of the roof. And if they had stopped their march on the stairs, they would have realized all noise had stopped from the fifth floor, the guards they left behind eerily silent.


DISCLAIMER: I do not own "The Little Mermaid," Disney, or any of its associated characters and intellectual property. Everything else, however, is mine =)