"Just stay quiet. I think it's blind," whispered Xander, one hand gripping his crossbow. He crouched with assurance and poise, his eyes focused on the beast, grinning devilishly as if this were a game. "But get ready to run."
The humid air, thick with the smell of the swamp, pressed down around us, against our lungs. Even pressure surrounded us from all sides, but it was heavy on my mind, wrenching sweat from my brow and fear from my stomach. I looked at the measly blade of my dagger, small and useless in my hand as it gleamed in the torchlight.
A splash boomed behind us, and a few droplets of water plunked across my face. I peeked out over the damp edge of our wooden boat as reeds pressed against my feet.
The swampus snuffled along, massive claws stirring the muddy water, head moving side to side. Its head moved in the vicinity of the torchlight, and nestled in the side of its face, beneath a bony ridge edged with spikes, was a pearl-white orb. It was blind, alright.
Out of thin air a bolt lodged in its eye. The swampus loosed an agonized cry, tearing the fiber of the air with its noise. It lifted a huge foot and brought it down hard, creating a splash that soaked Xander and I. I tossed him a desperate look, sputtering as I clambered into the boat. He returned it with an elated grin as water dripped down into his face. We both knew how easily we could get out of this situation. And we both knew how much Xander loved to agitate me.
Another splash rocked the boat, slamming it into the tall reeds. Xander let out a whoop of delight. The swampus jerked its head in our direction, lashing its tail to the side and whipping apart an island of swamp grass.
"Shut up!" I whispered urgently at Xander. He laughed, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous light as he raised his crossbow. "Loosen up, Ronan!" he exclaimed. I grabbed the nearby paddle and jammed it into the water, pushing us away from the plant-heavy shore. The snap of the crossbow sounded, and the swampus let out another roar even more terrible than the last. My heart dropped, and I watched it, fearing the worst. It reared back and threw itself forward, sending a spire of glittering green water soaring into the air. I screamed as it crashed down on us.
"You're making this very difficult!" I sputtered at Xander as I struggled to even out the weight of the dinghy. We bumped against the rough grasses. I grabbed the single paddle from where it floated in the bottom of the boat and began to paddle furiously, away from the swampus, churning the paddle through mud and grime. I threw a glance back at the swampus. It was moving toward us now, and the small, useless wings on its back were fluttering agitatedly. The paddle slipped out of my hand and plunked into the filthy water. The swampus opened its huge maw and loosed a jet of steam, drenching us in heat.
"Xander! Get us OUT OF HERE!" I roared, in a way that was not entirely different from that of the swampus. Our boat bobbed helplessly beneath the foggy air, atop the disgusting water. The swampus was increasingly disoriented and increasingly angry, and another splash sent our vehicle surging away from it, almost capsizing. Water soaked us once again. And through it all, Xander laughed.
He lifted his palm, and in that peculiar way, light seemed to fly to his hand, conglomerating into an orb which he threw in front of the boat. There, hovering above the water, it exploded into a hole, a window hanging in the air. I leaped through it without hesitation, landing hard. Xander followed with a yell of excitement. The light boomed and disappeared as the portal closed behind us.
I hoisted myself up to the top of the hill and collapsed, breathing heavily as the grass tickled me in all my dampness. I struggled to catch my breath as the purple sunset sky wheeled above me. Xander flopped down beside me, laughing like a jester, his crossbow gripped in his hand.
I expended my newly gathered breath to give Xander some badly-needed words. "Have I told you lately that I hate you?"
Xander pushed himself upward until he was in a sitting position, then pounded my shoulder amicably. "Ronan, brother, there is no sight more entertaining than that of an upset swampus." His grin enlarged, and he collapsed into laughter. "And a blind one, at that! It was perfect!" The sound of his mirth was warm on the evening air.
I stood up with effort and began to walk toward the distant castle, wringing out the hem of my damp tunic. "Well, I am not amused," I called back to him moodily, leaving him lying alone on the side of the hill.
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