Kell's Legend

swung around, trying to dislodge her, and savagely Anu’s claws gouged the Harvester’s throat, ripping free a handful of flesh, of windpipe, of muscle. She landed lightly, back-flipping away as the Harvester staggered.
    It turned, and glared at her, eyes glowing, face now snarling. It did not speak. It could not speak. Anu held its windpipe in her fist. Amazingly, instead of dying, the Harvester attacked and Anu deflected a quick succession of blows with her forearms, and bone fingers clattered against her claws and the Harvester looked surprised…Anu’s vachine claws should have been cut free. They were not. It snarled at her with a curious hissing gurgle, launched forward and grabbed her, picking her up above its head and moving as if to throw her…but Anu twisted, and there came a savage crack. The Harvester’s arm broke, bone poking free through pale skin, again with no blood, just torn straggles of fish-flesh. Anu landed, and her claws slashed the Harvester’s belly, then she leapt and herfangs fastened on its head, bearing it to the ground like a dwarf riding a giant. She savaged the Harvester’s eyes, biting them out and spitting them free, then staggered back, strips of pale flesh hanging from her fangs, her face stunned as the mangled form of the Harvester rose and orientated on her. The mangled face smiled, and with a scream Anu ran at the creature, both feet slamming its head and driving it staggering backwards. It toppled, into the river, went under, and was immediately swept away. Gone.
    Anu knelt, panting, staring at the cold surging waters, which calmed, flowing back into position with chunks of bobbing ice. She stood, smoothed her clothing, then turned on Vashell. His eyes were wide in his bloodied mask.
    “That is…impossible,” he said, softly.
    “I killed it!” snarled Anu, face writhing with hatred and a strange light of triumph, of victory, conquering her fear.
    “No,” said Vashell, shaking his head. “You hurt it. And now, it simply needs a little time to…” He gave a soft smile, a caricature of the vachine in his demonic, faceless face. “Regenerate.”
    Anu stared at him, then back to the river. “Get on the boat.”
    Vashell eased himself to his feet, huge frame towering over Alloria. Unconsciously, Alloria reached out to help him, to steady him, and he stared at her, surprise in his eyes. She said nothing, but aided him hobbling to the jetty, and then down onto the long Engineer’s Barge. Vashell slumped to a seat, blood tears running down his neck, and Alloria stared at herhands—also gore-stained—and then into Vashell’s eyes.
    “Thank…you,” he managed. He licked at the broken stumps of his vachine fangs. They leaked precious blood-oil. He was growing weak. He laughed at this, a musical sound. Maybe he would die, after all.
    Anu leapt into the boat, and as they moved away from the jetty, the frozen ground sliding away, five more Harvesters emerged from the mist. They drifted to the edge of the river, staring silently at the boat.
    Anu stared back, unspeaking.
    “We will hunt you to the ends of the earth,” said one, voice a sibilant whisper, and then they were gone, swallowed by towering walls of black rock, the Engineer’s Barge sucked further away and further into the desolate, brutal realm of the Black Pike Mountains.
    The brass barge journeyed up the river, clockwork engine humming, nose pushing through chunks of ice. A cold wind howled, desolate and mournful like a lost spirit, and eventually they came to a river junction, where two wide fast flowing sections split, each heading off up a particular steep canyon of leering mountains. Anu’s eyes followed each route, then she turned to Vashell who was sat, head resting on the barge rail, clawless fingers flexing.
    “Which way?” she said.
    “You really want to know?”
    “Yes.” She scowled. “Take me to my father.”
    “You won’t like what you find.”
    “I will be the judge of that, vachine.”
    Vashell chuckled, and sighed. His fingers touched his ruined face, tenderly, and he glanced up, and over, at the raging waters, pointing. “That way.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Of course I am sure, girl!”
    “Where does it lead?”
    “Why,” Vashell smiled, a demonic vision on his tortured face. “It leads to the Vrekken. And to Nonterrazake beyond.”
    Anu stared at him for a while, holding the brass barge steady in a gentle equilibrium against the current. “That cannot be,” she said,