Stryker's Arc

Chapter 14 of 16

They walked her back to the village at dawn. The elders didn't speak. Croaker limped beside her, one hand pressed to his ribs where they'd kicked him for talking. The cloaked figures had kept the gem. They said it would stay locked away until she brought proof the creature was dead. The elders stopped at a gnarled tower built into a massive tree at the village edge. Moss covered its twisted walls. Windows glowed faint yellow in the dim light. One of the elders pointed up at the highest window and told her they'd be watching. She could leave the village whenever she wanted. But if she ran—if she tried to disappear into the marsh without completing the task—they'd find her family first. Croaker pulled her aside when the elders went inside. He said he knew what could kill the creature. His voice dropped to a whisper. The old stories mentioned a weapon kept in the tower's lowest room, locked away for generations. But getting to it meant walking past the elders' guards and convincing them she had permission. Stryker looked up at the yellow windows, then back at Croaker's bruised face. She asked if he was sure it would work. He nodded. She told him to wait outside and keep watch. Then she walked straight to the tower's entrance and knocked. A guard opened the door and blocked her path. She told him she needed the barbed spear from the lowest room—the one made from the creature's own bone. The guard stared at her. She kept talking. The elders wanted the creature dead, didn't they? The spear was the only thing that could pierce its scales. The guard looked past her at Croaker standing in the shadows, then back at her face. He stepped aside. She descended the narrow stairs and found the weapon mounted on the wall in a locked case. The barbs along its length matched the claw marks she'd seen in the ruins. She broke the lock with a rock from the floor and lifted the spear free. It was lighter than she expected. She climbed back up and walked past the guard without looking at him. Croaker met her outside and examined the weapon. He said it would work if she could get close enough. She nodded and started walking toward the marsh. The tower's yellow windows watched her leave.