For several moments, nobody said anything. The night deepened, and darkness seemed to weigh heavily on all of their hearts.

Unexpectedly, Tyr shifted. “Perhaps, there is another way to save the farmer.”

Woods perked up, meeting the dragon’s glowing gaze. “What are you talking about?”

Tyr opened one of his claws and revealed a vibrant green gem—a life crystal, one of the rarest stones in all of Etheria. “The life crystal has many properties,” he rumbled. “It is said to be able to heal the most grievous wounds, and even pull mortals back from beyond the veil of death.”

Woods eagerly reached for the crystal, but the dragon snatched it away.

“Release me from my oath,” he demanded. “Grant me my freedom, and the crystal is yours.”

Woods hesitated. “How will I know you’re not going to burn us all when you’re free?”

“You won’t.” The dragon grinned. “You’re just going to have to trust me, little sprite.”

Woods gritted his teeth. He hated having to put his faith in a creature like Tyr, but he didn’t have a choice. If Matt died, then the farm would never be fully restored, and the Harvest Goddess would remain locked in stone for all eternity. He nodded. “Very well. I release you from your oath. Now, give me the crystal.”

Tyr’s grin widened, and he extended his claw, allowing the life crystal to drop unceremoniously on the ground.

Without waiting for even a second, Woods scooped it up and began running toward the smoking manor, his feet moving as fast as they would carry him. He was not a strong swimmer. But he was determined to do whatever it took to bring his human friend back to life.

Woods jumped into the hole and splashed into the freezing cold water. Tucking the glowing crystal under one arm, he sucked in a breath and swam downward as quickly as he could, making for the flooded dungeon.

The River Spirit, sensing his presence, sent a current in his direction and pulled him where he needed to go, guiding him into Matt’s cell and toward the air pocket where Finn was waiting. Woods pulled himself onto his brother’s scaly back, shaking the water from his curls as he beheld Matt’s still form.

The farmer didn’t look good. He wasn’t breathing, and his skin was ashen grey. Woods grabbed his wrist and tried to feel for a pulse. Nothing.

The River Spirit materialized beside him and cleared her throat, sorrow rippling across her watery features. “I’m sorry, Woods,” she said solemnly. “But Matt’s gone.”

Wordlessly, Woods held up the life crystal, the emerald light illuminating the air pocket between the water and the ceiling, just enough space for Woods to stand upright in.

He wasn’t sure how to use the crystal, but he placed it onto Matt’s chest, hoping there wasn’t any other magic needed for it to work. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as he hastily scrubbed dungeon water mixed with tears from his eyes. Nothing happened. A few silent seconds crawled by.

Top of Form

Finn, Woods, and the River Spirit looked on in silence as the light drained from the crystal, the walls of the dungeon growing dark again.

“Did it work?” the River Spirit asked after a few tense seconds.

“I—I don’t know,” Woods began. The three were so focused on Matt, they didn’t notice the shadows below the water shifting. One snaked up, tightening around Woods’ neck, and pulled him backwards off Finn. He plunged into the depths below.

***

Rock chased the corrupt monster through the massive wooden doors of the Baron’s manor. The straggler was an unholy fusion of wolf and deer, grotesque and misshapen. It was nothing like Rock’s majestic moose form, a creature of undeniable elegance and strength. In fact, many would argue—Rock included—that he was the most handsome animal to ever grace the forest. And really, who could disagree?

Stolen novel; please report.

The monster fled like a coward before Rock. It scurried through the opulent hallway, tearing apart rugs and knocking tapestries off the walls. It had the claws of a wolf but the skittish demeanor of a deer. Rock lowered his antlers, charging, causing more damage throughout the hall. Vases toppled from end tables, shattering against the marble floors as he pursued the monster.

Finally, they reached the end of the decorated hallway. Rock smashed the monster against the far wall, his magnificent antlers pinning it in place. Black dust mingled with the smokey air as the monster disappeared. Rock turned to trot out, confident that only a few remaining monsters needed to be dealt with. Between the sprites, the eccentric wizard, and the dragon of questionable alliance, they had almost cleared out Corruption’s vile creations.

Just before he reached the tall wooden doors leading into the night, Rock was halted by a man dressed in opulent clothes.

“You’re one of those—one of those damned sprites.” The man held up a green stone, as if the glittering gem would deter Rock. “Begone, foul beast!” he yelled, his hand shaking the stone violently.

Rock locked eyes with the man. Could this trembling figure be the Baron? Waving a jewel as if it could protect him? What exactly did he think it would do to a sprite? Rock’s eyes narrowed at the glittering object. It looked vaguely familiar, like something he’d seen before. His focus shifted back to the terrified man as he stepped closer. The man shrieked and dropped the stone, which clattered to the floor. Rock took another step forward. All he really wanted was to go outside and make sure Ivy was safe—this human and his useless green gem held no interest for him.

“I mean it,” the man cried. “Back away! Leave my home or suffer the consequences!”

Rock lowered his antlers and nudged the human—not roughly, but not too gently, either. The man yelped and staggered backward, and Rock decided to nudge him again. Didn’t he know he was blocking the way out?

The third nudge was a little more forceful, and it sent the man in the fancy clothes crashing through the front doors. He landed hard on his back, his face a mask of fear as he scrambled to get to his feet. “This is madness!” he shouted. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m the lord of these lands, the Baron of Sagewood! Laying even a finger on me is a crime punishable by death!”

Rock was getting rather annoyed with this human. He took another step toward the exit, and the man turned and tried to run away. But before he could get very far, an enormous shape descended from above with a flutter of leathery wings. The human screamed in terror as the dragon Tyr blocked his path, his yellow eyes glowing like lanterns in the night. “Please!” the man yelled. “Spare me! I’m a wealthy man! I can give you anything you might—”

The dragon didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence. Tyr opened his mouth, revealing a long, wet tongue and rows of razor-sharp teeth. With a strike that reminded Rock of a viper, the dragon snapped the human up in his jaws, cutting his screams short as he swallowed him whole. “Ah,” Tyr said as if savoring a meal. “I so missed the taste of human.”

Rock eyed the dragon uncertainly. He’d never eaten human before, but he doubted the taste was very good. He slowly made his way out of the smoke-filled manor and down the steps when a roar drew his attention to the far side of the courtyard. More corrupt creatures were making their way out of the forest, dozens of them, their twisted formed rushing past the open gates.

“Excuse me,” Tyr said, turning from Rock and unleashing a torrent of flame at the monsters. Most were incinerated instantly, but several more ran forth from the tree line.

From the shadows, another wolf-deer abomination slunk past its burning allies, its eyes fixed on Rock with a predatory hunger. Rock squared up, flaring his nostrils, ready for another fight when a familiar lynx ran in, pouncing on the wolf monster in a surprise attack. It yelped and spun but was no match for the lynx’s skill and wicked claws. Rock watched in awe, as he’d done so many times before, as Ivy swiftly and gracefully ended the monster’s life. Rock changed back to his sprite form, unable to keep a smile from his face. Even covered in black blood and guts, she was so beautiful.

She turned back into her sprite form as well, a tired look on her face. “That was the last of the corrupt monsters, I think. Reed and Alder are scouring the forest for the stragglers. Melvin got injured, but he’s being protected by the Forest Spirit.”

“Rock?” he asked, genuinely concerned about the farmer.

Ivy’s expression fell, and for the first time, Rock noticed her eyes were rimmed-red, as if she’d been crying. “I—I don’t think he’s going to make it.” She choked on the words, as if she was going to start crying. “Woods went down into the dungeon, but from what I heard, it’s completely flooded.”

Rock’s heartbeat quickened. The farmer was useless in stressful situations. And Woods was a terrible swimmer. And the River Spirit had already tried to drown the farmer once before. And Finn was flakey under pressure.

A feeling of dread washed over Rock, but he shrugged it off as he turned his attention back to Ivy, who looked as though she would burst into tears at any moment. He took her hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze.

“Rock,” he said, trying to sound comforting.

Ivy nodded and scrubbed the tears that had slipped down her face. She turned and focused on the green gem discarded by the man moments before he’d fled. It was still casting a mesmerizing pattern of jade-colored light across the hallway, though Rock paid the pretty lights no attention.

Ivy’s eyes widened. “Is that the forest stone?”