The Secrets of Serised

“Where did it go!” cried Lily. “Did you see that? It was one of them!” Everyone nodded, but as they all looked around, they could not spot the creature anywhere.Lily suddenly felt sluggish.Xander commented on it. “Do any of you . . . feel strange . . . at all?”Julian’s eyes came to life.

“It’s hiding from us. It’s using its powers. Quickly, you idiots, move. We’re blocking its escape!” But it was too late. The creature had been threatened and cut off from its tunnel. Without warning, a giant hand knocked Thaladria to the ground, and with a roar, the Nomed easily grabbed her around the ankle and began to draw her away. Thaladria swatted at it uselessly as the sluggish trance shifted the creature in and out of their vision.“Focus on it! We can’t fight it like this. Focus on the creature. We know it’s there. That’s half the battle. Do it now!” Julian’s sword was out, and he fought the desire to sit. Xander drew his blades too. The creature was already inside the mouth of the tunnel. Lily somehow managed to break free of its magic and rush forwards, grabbing Thaladria by the arms.“Don’t let go!” she shouted.“Excellent plan! Any more brilliant ideas?” Thaladria’s voice was terrified. Now all of them seemed a little more able to move freely, but Lily couldn’t hold Thaladria alone; the Nomed was just too powerful. She was being dragged in too. Julian and Xander were trying to come to their aid, but the creature’s magic was strong, and their movements were slow, ackward. It seemed very much like they weren’t moving at all.“Lily!” Xander cried. “Quick! Your bow, use your bow!” Of course! Lily’s eyes met Thaladria’s, and they exchanged a nod of understanding. They both let go at once and Lily drew her bow with lightning speed. “Come on, you can’t miss him,” she mumbled to herself. “Here goes.” She aimed into the mouth of the tunnel, unable to see the Nomed, and let her arrow fly.The arrow seemed to stop in midair, its tip invisible, buried in the unseen mass of the creature. The Nomed appeared suddenly, filling the cavern entrance, its spell broken by the pain of Lily’s arrow, and Thaladria’s back end hit the ground with a thud as its roar of pain and anger echoed off the tunnel walls. Lily had hit him in the back of the head. The creature had dropped Thaladria, and she scrambled out into the opening as fast as she could, but the heavy footfalls of the Nomed were right behind her. Lily grabbed Thaladria again and dragged her farther from the cavern. Julian and Xander met the creature with weapons drawn.The fight was trying. Lily got off a few more shots, but it seemed that the head of the creature was the only vulnerable part. Whenever she hit it anywhere else, the Nomed simply snapped her arrows and tossed them to the ground, as if they were nothing more than thorns. Finally she gave up wasting them in order to tend to Thaladria, who had crawled off to the side, out of the way of the battle, nursing a fast-swelling ankle.Lily tried to push her fear for Julian and Xander out of her mind. They were two armed young men against a demon with no weapon but incredible strength. Julian repeatedly thrust his sword, and Xander had more than he could handle just keeping the creature from grabbing him by throat and snapping his neck like a twig. His blades seemed useless, slicing at the creature’s arms to no avail. They continued piercing its mismatched skin but it seemed the creature could not die. A powerful blow knocked down both of them down. Julian’s sword was inside the creature, but with no more ceremony than someone pulling a splinter from his finger, it took the sword by the hilt and drew it out, snapping it in two with ease and throwing it to the ground.“It just keeps going!” Xander cried, awe and fear in his voice as he scrambled to his feet.“I noticed!” hollered Julian, looking around for something to use as a weapon while the creature shuffled toward him, arms outstretched.“Julian! Here!” Lily was beside him, handing him a sword.“His head, Julian. That’s your best shot!” Thaladria was still on the ground, cradling her swollen ankle in both hands.Julian nodded and motioned for Lily to get back. The Nomed was coming to finish the job. It was so angry that it was nearly bursting at the seams. With its arms swinging back and forth in great, sweeping arcs, it didn’t seem as if he’d be able to get close enough to it. But just then Xander appeared behind it, driving both of his swords deep into its side. The creature roared and started to turn, momentarily forgetting to swing. It was all the invitation Julian needed. He planted his right foot, grabbed the hilt of the sword in both hands, and stepped forwards, swinging upwards with all his strength. As blade met flesh, the sword sliced right through the neck of the horrid monstrosity, severing head from body. Both pieces fell, still at last, to the ground