Leiren snatched me up and backed away as the creature stalked toward us. He stretched out one hand and a wall of shadow shot out of the ground between the thing and where we stood. The barrier stretched out fifty feet wide and the same height.

My breath caught in my throat as I watched a faint dark mist worm its way through the barrier, creating cracks in Leiren’s magic just as it had in Eastwei’s. Leiren hurried back as more and larger fissures appeared in the wall. The shadows shuddered and shook and in one spectacular moment, the magic burst outward. Leiren’s magic rained down on us as hard as a gentle spring rain but there was no comfort to be had as the creature reformed itself into the hell hound shape.

A massive fireball struck it in the left side of its face. The creature stumbled and caught itself before it whipped its head about. Eastwei stood ten feet from it with his hands stretched out on either side of him. Huge fireballs burned in his palms and cast their bright light on his hardened expression.

The hound let loose a terrible howl before it charged him, its paws flinging up gobs of grass and dirt. Eastwei leaped up and rained fireballs down on the creature. As soon as he launched one another formed in his hand, allowing a continuous stream of blazing hot fury. The hound had its tongue burned before it clamped its mouth shut and retreated one step at a time, swinging its face from side to side as the fire god pummeled it with fireballs.

Unable to make any head, the creature returned its attention to Leiren and me. It growled and stampeded toward us. Eastwei flung out one hand and a fiery whip materialized. The flaming rope wrapped around the hound’s throat and Eastwei gripped the whip in both hands before he gave a mighty tug. The creature was yanked backward and fell on its back where it thrashed about.

Eastwei kept a hold on the whip with his left hand and his sword materialized in his right. He lifted the blade high above himself before bringing it down on our vicious foe. The fiery blade cut into the middle of the beast and the thing burst into clouds of fog. The gray and white mist swirled above the vanished body and my heart skipped a beat when I saw a familiar sight within those murky depths.

Small golden lights twinkled but instead of dozens, there were hundreds of them. The golden orbs drifted upward together and there came the faint sigh that filled the air with relief and sorrow. They vanished into the light of the sun and the meadow was once again clear.

I hadn’t noticed before, but Leiren’s grip on me was very tight. I squirmed and pawed at his arms. “Meow!”

He shook himself of his shock and loosened his hold on me. “My apologies.”

Leiren walked with me over to Eastwei who extinguished his weapons. “What in all the realms happened?”

Eastwei shook his head. “I wish I knew.”

The old god lifted his curious gaze to the skies and lifted a hand to shield his face from the glare of the sun. “I have never beheld such magic as we witnessed today. It seemed to be formed from many different magicks and crafted with a dark binding to create such evil.” He looked past Eastwei and at the wall where the faint reddish hue denoted the ward’s presence. “Perhaps that was the source of the cracks.”

“We shall see,” Eastwei commented as he moved back to his position before the ward.

He raised his hands as he had done before, and again he poured his magic into the barrier. The cracks shriveled to nothing and the thickness of the ward grew greater. The barrier faded back to its invisible status and Eastwei lowered his arms.

The lord swayed a little and caught himself with a dragging foot before he fell.

“Lord Eastwei!” Leiren cried out as he rushed toward the lord taking me with him.

Eastwei’s hand shot up in our direction and we skidded to a stop. The great lord lifted his chin and balled his hands at his sides. They shook a little until he clenched them tight. A great breath left him and his shaking ceased.

“I am fine.”

Leiren turned his head slightly and looked him over. “You are less than fine. The effort to seal the barrier and destroy the monster would have been immense, even for the likes of you.”

I hopped down from Leiren’s arms and trotted over to Eastwei where I looped my lithe body between his legs. He stared down at me and I offered him a soft, gentle meow.

“Even your small friend is worried about you,” Leiren added as he gestured to me.

“I need only time to recover,” Eastwei insisted as he looked about us. “Now where is this cave?”

Leiren pursed his lips but nodded at a spot further down the foot of the mountain. “It is a quarter mile further down.”

“Then let us be off,” Eastwei insisted and he started the journey before waiting for his companion to reply.

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I trotted behind him and Leiren came up to my side. He walked very close to me and I jumped a little when his whispered voice floated down.

“Watch him, cat. He is not as well as he makes himself out to be.”

I nodded as I watched Eastwei’s back. My sharp eyes caught that he moved with a stiffer posture than was usual. The pallor on his face was a little off, as well, but he tried to hide it behind his indifferent expression.

I recognized the troublesome spot a mile off. A mess of boulders had toppled from on high and landed in front of a cluster of caves created through countless years of upheaval and erosion. The avalanche had partially crushed and buried all of the caves but the largest one was completely entombed in the rubble.

Eastwei stopped in front of the center of the mess and Leiren moved to stand at his side. “You need not do this if you are exhausted from the fight.”

“Stand back,” Eastwei commanded him.

Leiren pursed his lips but reluctantly moved back to stand with me a few paces behind the lord. Eastwei clasped his hands together in front of him and his red magic flowed out of his palms. The intense heat dried out my skin and made my hair stand on end. The lord drew his hands apart and revealed a giant swirling ball of fire. The magic was so intense that it cast its own shadows over the area.

Eastwei pulled the orb close to himself before he shoved it forward. The ball shot across the distance and crashed into the boulders. The fierce fire cut into the boulder like a hot knife through cheese. The rocks cracked and exploded to the left and right, exposing the mouths of the caves and their dark interiors. Rodents and bugs scurried in all directions to escape the chaos of the tumbling shattered stones as a few bounced into the caverns.

Eastwei tucked his hands into his large sleeves and closed his eyes. His lips parted in a quiet but deep breath and I noticed his arms shook a little before he stiffened.

“An admirable control of your magic,” Leiren commented as he strolled up to Eastwei’s side and I tagged along. The old man admired the work with a smile and a nod. “I am glad to see that you have not been neglecting your skills during such a long peace.”

“There is always something to focus on,” Eastwei mused as he stooped and beckoned to me. I trotted over and he scooped me into one arm before he stood and turned to his old friend. “Inform me if anything suspicious happens around the ward.”

“You will not stay for a few hours longer to rest?” Leiren suggested

“I must return and inform the king of what transpired here,” Eastwei pointed out.

Leiren pursed his lips but bowed his head. “I will inform you right away should anything happen.”

Eastwei’s fiery magical flakes surrounded us and I felt us lift off the ground. We zipped up into the sky and arched over the turtle clan realms. Time and distance meant nothing inside his warm magic and nestled in his arm.

Thus I was a little surprised when he landed us atop Turtle Rock. The lord landed on his feet and took a few steps before his legs faltered. He managed to catch himself before we both lurched over the precipice. I yowled and pressed my paws against his chest. His heart pounded beneath my fluffy toe beans and his breathing came out in harsh, quick gasps.

Eastwei eased himself onto one knee and set me on the ground. I paced the rock in front of him as he draped an arm over his bent knee. “Meow! Meow meow!”

He shook his head. “I am fine.”

The sweat on his brow told me otherwise. I plopped myself down in front of him and lay a paw on his bent leg. “Meow!”

A faint smile touched his lips as he raised his other hand in front of him. The palm shook. He grasped the fingers in a tight fist and drew his hand back. “I will be fine. There is no need to worry.” I flattened my ears against my head but he merely beckoned to me. “Come. We will be home soon.”

I reluctantly stepped forward and allowed him to scoop me up. He stood on wavering legs and his magic surrounded us. His arm didn’t have quite the same comfort as before as my thoughts filled with worry for him.

We eventually landed on the gateway island and Eastwei was strong enough, or perhaps just stubborn enough, to land without incident. He swept a hand out in front of us and the gate activated, revealing the brilliant heavens. Never had those stone streets and pompous palaces looked so good.

We strolled through the gate and into the warm heavens. The guards still stood at attention and didn’t move as we passed. There was no fanfare save for a few idle gods and goddesses who strolled past. They smiled and bowed their heads to the mighty god, but I knew better. His hand that cradled me against his chest still shook a little. He couldn’t contain all of his exhaustion.

There was something very much wrong with him.