Read Beastly for Free Online

of his mind.
    As suddenly as it started, the spinning stopped. The dingy Troll’s Breath reformed before his eyes and his stomach no longer begged for mercy. The Beast gingerly panned around. Urda was gone. Hamish too. All appeared as it had before the crystals’ dance.
    Notices were still pinned to the stairs. The plate of bones still dominated the table. The Beast knew the tavern was somehow changed, but could not say how. He continued to inspect the empty space. And then he finally realized.
    The door.
    The front door was closed tight. He clearly remembered Hamish propping it open to freshen the rancid tavern air. He pushed his chair back and made for the entrance. His paws and ears tingled. The Beast’s nostrils flared as he tried to pick up the scent of hidden danger.
    Nothing.
    Even his keen ears failed him. Ears that he relied upon in the wild, ears that could pick up the cracking of twigs miles away. Now, they heard nothing. Nothing at all.
    The Beast reached for the door’s latch. Urda’s fiery illusion popped into his head. He shuddered at the thought of a real magical flame exploding through the door. He snapped his paw back, considering his options. There was standing there like a fool, waiting to see if Urda returned. Or he could try the door. That was all. In the wild, those who kept moving were those who survived. Those who remained stagnant, fell behind...
    Urda’s previous illusion had done no harm. She had played the role of generous host thus far, and the Beast could find no reason to distrust the old woman despite his pessimistic nature. He tapped the iron ring anyway, checking for traces of magic hotter than Urda’s fire.
    Cold as death.
    Relieved, the Beast chuckled. How ironic that he of all people was grateful for the cold kiss of iron?
    The chains were the coldest ...
    “Enough already.” The Beast’s words echoed in the vacant tavern. He yanked the door open and stepped through.
     

Chapter 5
     
    A deafening crash of unseen waterfalls, boomed through the doorway, pounding a throb into the Beast’s skull. A blinding flash of white light followed. He threw up a thick forearm, pressing fur and muscle into his grimacing face. Blinding slivers penetrated, burning purple spots through his eyelids. How much longer would it burn? He turned against the light, fumbling for the door’s latch.
    The burning vanished with the click of a door. The torturous explosion had lasted only as long as a door closing and yet felt like an eternity. A darkened expanse of grayish brick walls splotched by mold replaced the tavern’s mounted trophies. Streaks of pale moonlight filtered through an unseen canopy, painting watery shapes at his feet. The emptiness tugged at an ever present scar. It had been two long years since the chains.
    He would never go back .
    A tiny voice called to him. The Beast lowered his head, ears straining. His heart thumped steadily in his temples. He dropped to all fours, squishing cool wet sand between his toes. The voice beckoned again.
    He stalked his way through columns of dusty light, stifling dry coughs into his cloak. Twenty paces ahead, glimmering droplets of moonlight fell in reverse, climbing from floor to ceiling. The Beast halted his advance, unnerved by the bizarre scene. More of Urda’s magic ?
    Urda’s whisper danced in the shadows. “You know this place, Beast of Briarburn, no?”
    The Beast’s head swiveled to the gypsy’s voice but found nothing.
    “You are indeed alone, my boy, but fear not! Urda is watching. Now think. Force those rusty works of yours.”
    The Beast wracked his mind, willing memory to come crashing back and fill in the blanks. A forest... Stars... cobblestone... Nothing before his awakening on the Great Road. He shook his head, unable to conceal the disappointment in his voice. “Never in my life have I seen this pit.”
    “Ah, as truthful a reply as there ever was,” Urda chuckled. “But have you considered that perhaps you’ve had more