Chimera

Chapter Sixteen: Alana

"But aren't they just chaotic monsters?" Lance asked, puzzled, "how could they fight orderly in an army? And why would they want to?"

"Zyler's Chimera and Hydra troops have a wicked alliance of sort," Callista said, "they both have the same goal: they want to conquer the whole known world. So when one of Zyler's soldiers transforms into a Hydra by sacrifing their humanity during a bloody battle, they just remain in his ranks," she answered, "So Zyler gave me to one of his Hydra soldiers. She took me away into a cave to devour me. She was standing in a pool, feet in the water while she held me above the surface, ready to go for my jugular. But then the water turned to acid and starting eating away at her feet. She loosened her grip and I drove her head under the water. Then I jumped out of the pool and ran out of the cave and into this forest. Of course, I didn't escape the cave acid unscathed," Callista pulled up her left pant leg, to reveal angry red marks all over her foot, where her skin had been partially melted away. Alana grimaced.

"Since then, I've been hiding here in the forest, scared. I hate to say it, but I can't stand up to Zyler Steros. I don't see how anyone will ever be able to defeat him. He was already formidable with an army of assassins, and now that he can command Hydras, there's nothing that could beat him. I just hope the people in Los Lagos will escape their city before he invades it."

Alana nodded. She desperately hoped that the Hydras would not be able to breach the wall and slaughter the citizens of the city.

"So you're just going to hide here forever?" Camila asked.

"I don't know. I was preparing for a Hydra to charge me at the time you arrived from the cave. That's why I was in my Chimera form. I was hoping to take the Hydra by surprise and kill it," she said.

"Could you have killed a Hydra?" Alana asked eagerly, leaning forward. If Callista in her bear form could beat one of those monsters, there could be hope that-

"No, I couldn't have. It would have destroyed me before I could land one hit. But I would rather die fighting a Hydra than lose my humanity to one."

Once they had finished talking and the sun had set, Alana drank the last of her stew, curled up in the tall, dry grass and went to sleep.

Despite the looming threat of the Hydras, they were still determined to find a water source for Las Lagos. There would be no point defending against Zyler Steros if they were going to die of thirst anyway. In the morning, they found Callista hard at work, constructing Hydra traps: hidden pits filled with broken pieces of glass, snares with spiked nooses, and javelins positioned to plunge from trees above at the pull of a rope. They thanked the mercenary for her help and then left the camp.

The four friends followed the river onward through the forest, Goldenstroke bounding after them. Alana stepped lightly on the ground, dry leaves crackling beneath her feet. Her broadsword was strapped to her back, within easy reach at the first sign of danger. But she was happy, the happiest she'd been since they'd gone beyond the wall.

She'd been attacked by multiple creatures, determined to end her life. Alana liked a good fight or two, a chance to fight with her broadsword, but it had eventually become too much. Going for miles without seeing a friendly face was hard, and she had begun to think that she would never see true kindness again, only blood. But then she had met Callista. The mercenary seemed like proof that people could still give to each other, even in this harsh, monstrous world where it would be easier to share nothing, not food or shelter or even words.

Alana noticed the trees thinning, slowly but surely. The thick oak, ash and firs were giving way to supple willow and thin pines.

Up ahead, something glittered. A bright white flicker between the trees.

"Did you see that?" Alana said, hand on her sword hilt in a second.

"What?" Lance asked.

Alana broke through the final trees. The sight in front of her took her breath away in an instant. Behind her, the others gasped.

The land ended in a band of sand, giving way to a gigantic frothing lake. But it was not like any lake she had ever seen before. Its sheer size blew her away. It stretched as far as the eye could see, going on and on until it merged with the horizon at the end of the world.

The neverending lake sent out huge, foam-crested waves which crashed onto the shoreline with huge roars. Alana figured that it was like a pond, and the waves were like ripples, except this lake was so huge that the ripples were massive, tumbling walls of water.

"This isn't just enough water to maintain all of Las Lagos," Alana said, a smile spreading across her face, "this could turn the entire desert into a giant river!"

It was more than a city could ever drink in a millenia.

She took a deep breath in, closing her eyes to hear the sound of the water- and stopped. The scent of the air brought back memories of the fish that her father used to buy her on her birthday. He had selected a trout from rows of hanging fillets dried with salt. The air seemed like it was ladened with the stuff. She smelled salt.

"Wait a second," Alana murmured, eyes widening. She rushed forward, feet pounding the sand. It felt strange between her toes, satisfying as it squelched under her feet. If her heart hadn't been sinking with worry, she would have realised that her foot prints vanished behind her. Soon, her feet splashed into the water. It was cool and refreshing, but it didn't feel like any lake she'd ever been in. It itched, irritating her skin. Shaking her head slowly, Alana lowered her hands into the water and lifted it to her face. She already knew the answer to her silent question when she poured the liquid into her mouth.

She spat it out in a spray of mist. It was filled with salt. Alana's tongue burned and she almost retched.

Camila staggered into the water after her.

"No, no, no, no, no..." she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

They had come so close. They had gone so far. They had gone beyond the wall. They had fought mutated animals. They had befriended mutated animals. They had searched for food. They had found fresh water in the cave and they had been full of hope. They had followed the river through the cave, risking everything. They had nearly been killed by a Salamander as they fled in the thick darkness. They had killed it and escaped into the light. They had followed the river further, waiting until it emptied into their town's last possible hope.

But the water here was poison, undrinkable. They had done everything for nothing. That in itself would make Alana shudder with bitterness. But it was worse than that. Now, Las Lagos had no water. They were doomed to die of thirst in a cage, surrounded by Hydras waiting with jaws agape. There was suddenly a bitter taste in her mouth, the sour bile of failure.

"It's over. They might as well be dead," Alana said.

If you've enjoyed reading this story, don't forget to vote, comment and add it to your reading lists. I will be adding a new chapter every day. If you have any tips for how I can improve my writing, or what I did well this time, please feel free to tell me (in a nice manner). Thanks so much for reading my story!