Possessing the Grimstone - By John Grover Page 0,8

washing across his face, circling around him. He wondered if his eyes were glowing. Wouldn’t that be amazing? By daylight! No one’s eyes glowed in the day. But the sensation was unmistakable: he was sure they were glowing.

One last exhale, and he was off. He exerted his ability, and hit the water’s edge in an instant. All stress flowed out of his body, and his feet carried him atop the water. He skimmed to the center, the deepest part of the river, and the cold water nipped at his bare toes.

Pim was more than half way across, and he hadn’t fallen. His face felt warm. His heart kept rhythm. His legs carried him further and further, until…

He’d made it! He’d reached the other side of the river… he had run on top of the water! A smile stretched across his face. It had been as if he were flying.

Why not go all the way? Leap over one of the trees? Yes… keep going. Take flight. Show them all: Father, and everyone!

Pim hit a boulder with immense force, pushing off of it with his legs, and launching himself into the air, letting the momentum carry him up.

The tree awaited, tall and noble. He leaped as high as he could, but came to the sudden realization that he was never going to clear it. Not even close.

He let out a small yelp, closed his eyes, and collided with the tree. As he tumbled, he hit nearly every branch on the way down, scratching his face.

Pim crashed with a thud. After a moment to collect himself, he brushed his fingers across his cheek. There was blood on his fingertips. He looked around, but no one was about. No one had seen any of it.

“That was awesome!” He burst out laughing.

Cracking his neck and his back, he pulled himself up off the ground. His legs ached, and his ears rang. Then another thought crossed his mind. He made his way back to the village.

Pim reappeared on the other side of the river with a sword in his hand. He hoped the warrior sect wouldn’t miss one blade from the armory. Poising himself again, he took a few steps back, and clutched the sword.

He let all thoughts drain from him, shook away the sweat, and focused on his task and the great idea he’d come up with.

Pim breathed in and out, relaxing nearly to the point of drifting off. Then he ran. His legs ached and his feet burned on the ground as he jumped over tree roots, pebbles, and prickly mushroom caps.

He hit the water and blinked across in an instant. When the boulder came into sight, he lifted his sword in both hands, hoisting it over his head. His feet hit the rock, and he jumped.

Soaring through the air, he again knew he would not clear the top of the tree, but that was not the point this time. He shot right at the tree and drove the sword into the trunk, all the way to the hilt. The strike stopped his journey, and halted his momentum. He howled with joy.

“No attacker would ever see that blow coming. I could come out of the sky on top of them!”

He climbed down the trunk and reached ground, panting like a dog. Suddenly, he felt dizzy as fatigue seized his body. He stumbled about until finally, he collapsed on the forest grounds.

###

Archers from Bhrungach marched on the road to the Lake Lands. Word reached the councils of Bhrungach that the lakeside villages had all fallen to a new scourge, strangers to the world. These invaders spoke in a foreign tongue and had all manner of dark magic and strange beasts at their command, while they destroyed relentlessly. Their demands had yet to be communicated. They simply seemed to delight in the killing.

This new menace made the people of the South and Glenghora look like children. The people of the North would not stand for it; they had not become hardy and battle-strong for nothing.

Farnus-Tan, general of the Bhrungach forces, brushed his white mustache, and counted the men in his brigade. He thought they had enough to at least hold off this new threat until forces from Cardoon arrived. The plan was to keep them from reaching the gates of Brungach. The lady of the Council was weary and ill; she would be overthrown easily. It was up to Farnus-Tan to keep that from happening.

“Listen for the cries of their beasts,” he yelled to his men.