Free Magic Astray (The Llandra Saga) by Gregory Mahan Page A

Randall’s left behind the shelter.
    Whirling in place, Randall scanned the forest to find what she meant. “Berry!” he swore, before he could stop himself. The donnan was at the edge of the clearing, rapidly skittering toward them.
    At Randall’s exclamation, the donnan looked up at the pair of fugitives sitting in the shelter, and raised his arm to point toward them, and Randall felt a pulse of power from Llandra as the donnan drew in magic faster than he could react.
    “Vinn!”
     

Chapter 7
    Randall flinched back instinctively from the spell. It was a useless reaction, he knew. If he had been the target, he would have already been ripped asunder in a spray of guts and gore. Instead, blood and bits of flesh rained down upon him from somewhere above them.
    He spun around and looked up just as a heavy weight slammed into his chest. He only saw a fleeting glimpse of teeth and black fur before he was rolling in the grass, fighting for his life. Sharp talons ripped along the length of his thigh, and a scream tore itself from his throat. Dimly, he was aware of the sounds of fighting throughout the rest of the clearing.
    Desperately, Randall reached out to touch Llandra, filling himself with power. “Arkala” he screamed, weaving the magic into the spell that would call forth the flames. A jet of fire exploded from his hands, hurling the creature away from him where it landed in a heap of burning flesh.
    Looking around wildly, he spotted Nia facing off against another of the beasts, sword in hand. It was an enormous black panther, every bit as large as a hunting dog, with fangs stretching down unnaturally past the jaw line. Berry faced off against another of the big cats, and a third was crouched in the grass, ready to pounce on Nia from behind.
    “Vinn,” Randall shouted, pointing at the stalking beast, causing it to burst inside out just as Nia’s sword plunged deeply into the heart of the animal before her. Looking for the animal that Berry had been facing, Randall only saw a smear of blood and entrails on the ground. Randall clutched his thigh, moaning in agony as he sank back to the ground.
    “Rhys has released the cats,” Nia cried breathlessly as she raced back to where Randall lay. “The hunters can’t be far behind. We have to move quickly before...” She trailed off as she saw Randall’s ruined leg.
    Spinning around to face the imp, she assumed a fighting posture. “You, stay back! I don’t know if you are friend or foe, but keep your distance!”
    “Friend,” Berry chittered, but nonetheless remained where he stood.
    Nia knelt beside Randall, keeping a wary eye on the donnan. “Oh, Randall,” she said sadly. “We have no hope of escape with your leg in this state. But come what may, I will fight at your side until the end. On this you have my word.”
    “You would stay and die at my side?” Randall asked, teeth clenched in pain.
    “I have given my vow,” she replied. “I will stand by you until the end.”
    “Then I have to trust you with a secret,” Randall gasped as a fresh wave of agony coursed up his thigh.
    Gathering up the remains of his power, Randall pushed it down into the healing talisman under his tunic. He felt the familiar cold driving away his pain as the energy charged the runes engraved on the artifact. Nia’s eyes widened as the bleeding slowed, and Randall’s muscles began to knit themselves back together.
    “Healing magic,” she cried. “I did not know that your kind had such gifts.”
    “We don’t. I’m the only one,” Randall explained as the soothing magic repaired his ruined flesh.
    Suddenly, Randall felt a sharp popping sound from the talisman, and he instinctively let go of the magic he had been forcing into the device. Fishing the artifact out from under his tunic, he looked at it with a critical eye. A large crack had formed along its length, and it looked as if it could fall apart at a moment’s notice.
    “But probably for not much longer,” he