Book One – Chapter 5

As the tendril ripped, others shot forth, a grotesque display of multiplied aggression. Pressed to defend, Yves conjured a dome of interwoven glass shards, encasing himself and Midnight within a protective cocoon. Within the second that it formed, the muscular tendrils coiled around the crystalline fortress and pulled the whole structure in. The gaping maw of the monstrosity expanded grotesquely, swelling to engulf them whole. The shard dome grew equally, a translucent shield against the howling opening, which in turn generated an incessant cascade of tendrils that ensnared and tore at them. Yves felt their pressure on his structure, as they threatened to break it through brute force.

They needed to get away. Within this ephemeral refuge, Yves grappled with the limitations of his arsenal. Shards, his usual instruments of offense and defence, were inadequate for the monstrous threat, not suited for the annihilation required. What he needed was raw firepower. Light, the essence of any destructive magic, eluded him in the shroud of night. The Lightgiver Wand, the illuminating conduit that compensated for Yves’ disability, had no room to produce enough light within the limited confines of the shard dome —

In a swift motion, Yves unslung the Bow of Light from his back. A weapon of unparalleled craftmanship, the bow’s string was a formidable channel, the perfect artefact for most compressed and explosive energy releases. Yves drew an arrow, infusing it with a surge of power that resonated with the depth of his reservoir.