Read The Amulets (An 'Amulets of Andarrin' tale) for Free Online Page A

Jack, wondering what he could possibly do to help as he saw him grappling the creature with the silver tentacles.
    Jack looked at the creature he was holding and screamed, dodging the tentacles as they whipped towards his face. He couldn’t believe how strong it was for something so small. Barely holding it out of reach from his face he noticed it was a fat, slug like creature. Its black body looked odd compared with its silver tentacles, not to mention its black crab like legs. He grabbed it with his other hand to keep it at arm’s length and away from him.
    Now feeling as if he had more control over it he began getting up. Aaron was now only a few metres away.
    “Wait!” he shouted.
    Aaron stopped a metre away “Whoa! What is…what should I do?”
    “I don’t know” Jack said grappling the creature.
    Aaron looked at the figure standing at the tree line above the road. It was focused on Jack but seemed to be motionless. “That things not moving. Throw it on the floor and we’ll just run.”
    Jack didn’t respond. The creature’s tentacles pulled back towards its face. Jack wondered what it was doing and he knew, whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good. The tentacles coiled and Jack moved his head as far back as he could.
    “Throw it and run” Aaron shouted.
    Jack didn’t have time. As soon as Aaron finished his sentence the creature’s tentacles sprang at him only this time they left its face. Jack let go with his right hand and twisted his entire body sideways. “Whoa” he shouted as they narrowly missed his face, flying into the woods behind him, smashing into trees or hitting the floor.
    The creature squealed and Jack quickly turned back to it. In his panic to dodge the tentacles he had tightened his grip around the creature. In the moment that the tentacles were released the creature had been vulnerable, enabling his grasp to crush it. Jack looked at the creature, relieved and disgusted as black sludge covered his hand.
    Aaron watched with horror as the creature squealed in Jacks hand until it became silent and still.
    “Jesus! What the hell…” Aaron said as Jack let it drop to the floor.
    “I don’t know man” Jack said, wiping his hands on his jeans.
    A loud scream echoed through the air, wrenching Jack and Aaron back to the wider world. With all the adrenaline pumping through their veins they had forgotten about the tall figure that was now in motion. Jack and Aaron cursed as the creature, still shrieking, swept down the road towards them. “Run!” Aaron shouted.
    They both ran but the creature was too fast. Jack couldn’t help but turn his head around as he ran. Instead of running the creature seemed to be floating but it was hard to tell as its cloak dragged across the floor concealing its legs. Looking up Jack saw its eyes; two red dots, no wider than a nail head, bright in the darkness of its hood. Jack spun back round, increasing his speed. The creature was gaining on them. Aaron heard a thudding sound coming from the woods. Whatever it was it was running.
    “I think there’s another one coming” he yelled, pointing to the woods as he ran.
    Jack had never been so scared. Speckles of tears began building up in his eyes, the only thought he had was that he was going to die.
    Jack glanced back; the figure was so close it was within touching distance. It all happened so fast, as Jack turned around it swept past the two of them and stopped in front of them. An arm like a tree trunk emerged out of its cloak, at the end of it sat a claw-like hand, the size of a basketball, with three sharp but filthy claws. It swung, hitting Aaron across the chest. With the same swing it struck Jack on the arm sending both Jack and Aaron crashing to the floor.
    Jack looked to Aaron who lay motionless on the floor, blood flowing from a wound in his chest. Jack lifted Aaron’s head up as the figure moved towards him, its face coming within a few inches of his own. Jack could feel its breath on his