Terry stood there staring at the massive beast creature. It was every bit the size of Banjo the fish-man, possibly bigger. It was dressed like something out of a fantasy film, which screamed “Everywhen” to him. It wore a loin cloth and leather straps and carried a two handed ax in one hand as if it was nothing. The horns were black and seemed to pull the light to them. It was intimidating.

  For all that, it was more natural than the six beings surrounding it. They wore black and gray robes with wide-brimmed, domed hats. Each “person” was armed with a quarterstaff. That was all a bit odd, but the thing that truly unnerved Terry were the bone white bird masks with glass goggles for eyes. They looked like bird skulls.

  Plague Doctors. Or a mockery of them.

  Something about them reached inside him and frightened him on a primal level. Terry had known fear. He and fear were old friends at this point. This was something else again. He heard Elton shriek behind them. He glanced quickly to Delores and she was at least unnerved judging by her face. His party’s fear gave him strength though. This wasn’t just him. That he could deal with.

  Terry made no sudden movements, but would reach for his sword the minute things went sideways.

  “I don’t know who you are, or what you’re doing out here, but we’re not looking for trouble.” He said. He thought about it. “Unless YOU’RE looking for trouble.”

  One of the beings stepped forward slowly, it’s head tilting at terrifying angles and speeds. The minotaur moved to step forward, but two of the Doctors barred its way with their staves. It snorted, its breathe misting in the cold air, and kept its position. The lead being craned it’s neck forward.

  “Liiiiingaaaaaaaal.” It said. Terry took an involuntary step back. The voice sounded like something croaking and imitating human speech. Or the sound rough stones made when cracked together and somehow making words out of that. It was one of the worst things to ever grace Terry’s ears. He shivered.

  “How do you know his name?!” Delores shouted at the thing.

  The sudden tilt of it’s head was sickening. Terry should have heard a neck snap if it had been human.

  “Perhaps this can be finished, finally.” It said.

  “I said-” Delores began, but Terry held a hand out to stop her.

  “Who are you?” Terry asked.

  “The Lingal child has manners.” He heard one of the other five say, followed by sharp, nightmarish, cawing laughter. Terry was terrified of what would be under that mask.

  “Do you not remember us?” Said the lead entity. It slowly walked toward him. He saw sharp points on the ends of the fingers of its gloves.

  “Should I? Why does every entity think I should know it?” Terry asked. He heard Elton whimper as the thing got closer.

  “Do you remember when your mother took all of our gifts?”

  Terry felt cold. The fear had flowed out of him suddenly, along with every other feeling.

  “What?” He asked. The thing came even closer, it’s gait was inhuman, it’s posture hunched, it’s movements quick and jerky, like bad stop motion.

  “She took our gifts. The ones for you and your father.” It’s voice creaked. He couldn’t see it’s face but it sounded like it was smiling.

  Terry felt Delores pull mana into herself. He did the same and now he could see it. All of it. Mana flowed into the bird entities. It flowed into the minotaur’s horns but did nothing for it. There was something else drawing mana back out toward the road. One way or another, they were about to have company.

  “Are you saying that you gave my mother the cancer that killed her? You tried to give it to my whole family and my mother took it all?” Terry still felt numb, but he knew what he was about to do.

  “She was brave, for a human. She took it all and killed our agent. Our master was not pleased, but he is forgiving.” It cawed.

  “The Greenman?” Terry asked.

  “His son.” It said.

  “But you killed my mother.”

  “Yes, little Lingal.” It said. Mockery in its voice. “We brought the disease. It is what-”

  It never had the chance to finish the sentence. One minute, Terry was standing there, hands at his side. The next, his sword was already in the air at an angle. The creature had gotten close enough in it’s taunting. It’s top half was lying on the ground now. It’s insides spilling.

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  The mask had fallen off and it was a giant raven’s head. It’s black eyes stared at nothing now. It’s lower half though, began running around in a panic and running into the walls of the Castle. It ran at Delores but she kicked it over. Terry heard Elton vomit into the pond behind them.

  “Thunder, watch Elton.” Terry said into the stunned silence that followed.

  Then, it was bedlam.

  Spells erupted from every direction. Terry darted forward to close the distance, Delores hot on his heels, she spun cyclones of mana around them absorbing attacks and redirecting or dissipating them. Terry found his sword could pull mana into it, like he had in Dans la Bouche. Spells came at him when they slipped past Delores and the sword cut them in two, then pulled in the traces of mana left behind. It glowed brighter and brighter as they made their way to the bird-men.

  Suddenly, two ice shards came from behind them and hit one of the Plague Doctors. Terry turned just long enough to see Steven Takewell, a purple robed cleric, and two knights striding onto the grounds. The knights began advancing on the minotaur, leaving the Plague Doctors for the magic users. Terry shook his head realizing that really included him now.

  He made it to the first of the bird-men and as it tried to summon a fireball, Terry split it right down the middle from head to waist. He spun in time to intercept a second as it switched to using it’s quarterstaff.

  The thing had Terry on the back foot. He hadn’t trained nearly enough for this sort of combat. The staff seemed to turn every blow he threw at it without breaking. He kept having to back up and stay out of range of the spinning staff. He knew that if he tried a direct stab it would just disarm him. Only one thing for it.

  Terry lowered his sword, hunched over, and ran full tilt at the bird-man. He took some hits from the staff, most of which his armor absorbed. His head? Well, he had a hard head and he healed fast. His enhanced speed and strength took the bird right off its feet and he barreled forward, shoving the thing through the doors of the Castle, where he stopped dead. The bird did NOT stop. It kept flying forward and hit what was in the middle of the main chamber.

  It was a glowing sphere. It was white and had a mother of pearl sheen to it. Traces of pink and blue rolled through the surface. When the bird went in, it did not come back out. Terry thought it would be best to not get too close to whatever it was. He ran back to the door and found two of the birds facing Delores.

  They were throwing attacks at her. Ice, fire, lightning, pretty much anything they could. Delores could counter them all day but it left her no room for an actual attack. They needed to figure something out for that in the future. They could talk about it later.

  One of the birds stopped and stared as the glowing blade of Terry’s sword sprang from its chest. The other one turned to look in surprise and then burst into flames. That was the opening she’d needed.

  “Sorry!” Terry said. “We’ll work on this.”

  Delores gave him a grin that made the horror of the whole situation flee for a moment.

  Some quick mental arithmetic told him there was one more Plague Doctor and the minotaur left and, sure enough, there they were. One of the knights was down and wouldn’t get back up. The cleric was dead, which Terry thought sadly might be for the best. The bird and the bull seemed to make an effective team.

  The knight fought the minotaur well, and Takewell kept the Plague Doctor too occupied to back the beast up.

  Terry made his way to Takewell, who was hurling spells like a pro.

  “I didn’t expect to see you. Especially not here.” Terry said.

  “Your aunt and uncle told us you were never here which told me you had been. Once that Sending opened and my compass went off, I made some assumptions.” The bald cleric said.

  “So that’s a gate to the Everywhen?” Terry asked, surprised.

  “Yes. One way. Portals there and here are always one way. One of these birds must have made it and intended to go back.”

  “Well, your help is appreciated, even if I’m not under your jurisdiction any more.”

  Terry watched as every spell Delores threw at the minotaur redirected into its horns.

  “D!” Terry shouted, but Delores was already on her way. “That thing’s horns are enchanted or something.”

  “I noticed, love. I’m thinking. Give me a minute.”

  Terry had to just ignore what she’d called him for now.

  “You’re just going to have to take it down with brute force, I think.” She said, and he nodded.

  “Takewell, you pay attention to Tweety there. I’m gonna try and end this guy.” Terry knew he sounded like an idiot the moment he said it, but Takewell just nodded.

  “You’ll need to watch that ax.” He said. “Can you do that?”

  Terry’s sword began to glow so brightly Takewell backed away from him. Terry saw Elton riding slowly up on Thunder with his phone out, recording.

  “If I can’t, then what’s the use of me?” He said to the former cleric. “D, can you throw something at the minotaur? Something big?”

  “It’s not gonna hit.” She said.

  “Doesn’t have to if it’s big enough.”

  She grinned.

  “Go do the dirty work, hero. I’ll handle this end.”

  Terry had no idea what spell she was using but it was a big one. It looked impressive and that was what mattered. It could be fireworks for all he knew.

  Delores threw a massive ball of light at the minotaur. As soon as it left her hands, the bull lowered its head to absorb whatever it was. Terry leaped. It was what he was best at. He heard Takewell say something un-priest like as he soared overhead. He was over the thing and had a fantastic look as the ball was absorbed by the horns. Terry came down right on top of the monster.

  The sword went straight through its back and it screamed. It sounded like a man and a bull combined and it made Terry ill to hear it. He was standing with his feet on the thing’s shoulders and his sword through its heart. He pulled his blade out to lop the head off.

  The thing suddenly straightened and threw Terry off its back, sending him sliding through the door of the Castle. He thankfully slid to the side of the Sending and came to a stop against the wall. He saw Delores run to the door to check on him.

  “I’m fine!” he shouted. “Just watch for the-”

  The bull’s thrashing arms hit Delores in the back causing her to stagger forward, but she stopped herself and the bull dropped dead. Terry let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. The bird-man suddenly flying through the door and hitting Delores turned his heart inside out.

  The thing skidded to a stop, grabbed Delores by the arm, and swung her into the Sending. He just had time to see the horror on her face before she was gone. The bird leaped in behind her. The door to the Everywhen vanished leaving a burned circle in the wooden floor. All Terry could do was lay there and continually see Delores’s face as she vanished from the Earth. He never even noticed Elton standing in the door way drop his phone.

  The light in Terry’s soul went out.