Saving Blair

After hearing the scream I rushed over to see what the hell was going on. I caught a glimpse of someone running, or at least she was trying to run. The figure stumbled forward, and I adjusted my sore eyes to try and see who it was.

Then my mouth dropped open when I realized it was Blair.

Her green hair and lavender skin were glowing under the moonlight, and she was crouched down and clearly having trouble standing up. She tried to move forward, but there must have been something wrong with her leg because she collapsed to the ground as soon as she tried to get back up.

Then I heard a loud growl, loud enough to reach the window, and when I turned my head to locate the source, I saw some kind of creature slowly lurking toward her. From here, it looked like a horse, and I wondered why she would be running and stumbling from a harmless animal.

But then I looked closer.

I realized the creature was also part human, and its fists were clenched by its sides, clearly ready to attack Blair. She tried to crawl away, and I knew I had to get out there before it was too late.

With the blade in my hand, and without a second thought, I whipped around and yanked the door open with all my force. Then I ran through the corridors to get outside. Luckily, it seemed like my body instinctively remembered where to go to get out, and I ran hard and fast, like never before.

I sprinted so hard I could actually feel the blood pumping in my ears.

When I finally reached the doors to the outside, I used all my strength to push them open. It took a second to pry them apart, but as soon as I did, I didn't even bother to look back as they shut behind me.

All I knew was I had to get to Blair before the beast got to her first.

I heard another hair-raising scream and followed the sound, and I ran and ran until I saw a towering figure looming over a curled-up Blair. She was in a fetal position with her arms over her head, and I saw long bloody scratches all over her forearms.

"Hey!" I called out, and I was panting hard. "Over here!"

The beast slowly turned around, and I realized I was looking at a gruesome, colossal centaur. Its lower half was larger than any horse and was tinted a sickly green color. Its hooves were massive, like a pair of dumbbells digging into the earth. The upper half of the creature was tall and muscular, and its eyes were glowing a deep, cobalt blue. It had a pair of large, razorsharp horns that protruded from its head, and when it turned its attention from Blair to me, its lips curled up into a menacing smile. There were rows of razor-sharp teeth protruding from its mouth, and when I looked down, I saw claws emerging from its knuckles as well.

"Two souls that dare confront me?" the beast laughed in a deep rumble. "Well, this certainly is a surprise, but I surely welcome it. It's been a few moons since I've tasted Wicca blood."

Then he turned his attention away from me again, and he was clearly still intent on finishing Blair off.

"Get the hell away from her," I warned, and my fist clenched around the dagger I still held in my hand.

The centaur reared his ugly head in my direction and grinned wider.

"With pleasure," he chuckled. "I can kill you first while she watches."

The creature then lowered his head so his horns pointed in my direction, but I kept the dagger hidden from view behind my back.

I didn't anticipate dueling a massive horse-man in the middle of the night, but stranger things had happened to me, so I was just rolling with the punches.

Suddenly, the centaur darted toward me, and the ground shuddered beneath his massive pounding hooves. My heart was racing just as fast as the creature's long legs, and the air sawed in and out of my lungs as I crouched there and waited until the last possible second. When the horse-monster was less than ten feet away from me, I dove to the side and barrel-rolled through the fallen leaves and underbrush.

I tumbled head over heels, but then I popped back up on my feet and spun around to face my opponent. His momentum had carried him for several yards after I'd jumped out of the way, and he was just now coming to a stop.

Then he whirled around and glared at me like an angry bull.

"Looks like I'm going to have to work for my meal," the beast growled.

"Looks like it," I replied through my gritted teeth.

The centaur shook his head furiously at me and then dug his hooves into the dirt as he prepared to charge at me once again. I lowered myself into a fighting stance, and my palms were sweating as I clung onto the blade behind me. Then I held my breath and waited for the beast to make his move.

I knew I was at a huge disadvantage with this creature. He was twice my size, with twice the amount of legs, and one kick from his hooves would probably cave in my sternum. So, I couldn't let it land a blow, or I was done for.

The only thing I could do was try and take out his legs without getting killed. If I could slash at his legs and nick one deep enough, he wouldn't be able to charge me, and I could hopefully get close enough to land a killing blow.

All of this planning ran through my head in a matter of milliseconds, but the beast was clearly out of patience now. With a guttural growl, the centaur lowered his head and galloped toward me, and the moonlight glinted off the razor-sharp horns that were moments from goring me.

Go ahead, charge at me.

I stood my ground and waited for the right moment. My grip on the hilt tightened with each passing second, and I waited for the beast to come just a little closer.

The centaur bellowed as he continued to run in a straight line, and I could tell he was ready to use his protruding horns to gut me.

Now was my moment. When the centaur was close enough, I raised my palm and shouted.

"Illuminana!"

Blinding white light flared to life in my hand, and the beast cried out in frustration as he raised his arms to cover his face. The monster was still charging in my direction, but now, he was stumbling and running toward me in zigzag motions.

So, I dodged the centaur's graceless attack, and I took the precious opportunity to swing my dagger at his right leg. I managed to nick the creature in its upper thigh, and blood splattered as the monster tossed back his head and screamed in agony.

The beast came to a stop, too close to me for comfort, and when I met his eyes, I realized he was prepared to run at me again, but then, something happened.

Its leg, the one that I cut, cracked loudly.

The centaur cried out in pain, and his leg bent down, as if the bone had snapped at an angle. Smoke emerged from the wound, the cut had now opened up further, and skin split open on its own. It spread upward toward his torso and up his neck. I realized the creature was slowly turning into stone from the leg up, and the centaur cried out in shock and pain as stone replaced his skin and fur.

"What have you done?" the creature wailed as the stone began to crumble and fall to the ground. "What have you done!"

Blair looked at me with fear and confusion written across her bloody face. Then her eyes darted to the dagger in my hand, and as I also glanced down at the blade, I wondered what kind of power it had within it.

The centaur continued to wail as he turned entirely into a pile of ashes and dust in front of us. When he was little more than a heap of dirt, a gust of wind blew through the courtyard and scattered everything, and then nothing remained of the murderous creature.

Silence descended over the courtyard, and I panted heavily as my pulse pounded in my ears.

What in the hell just happened?