I fumbled for my binoculars, but I did not need them. When I looked up, I saw her. Part of her. A foot and a sweep of feathers stretched across the horizon, dwarfing the world beneath. In comparison, the false king was nothing. A speck of dust.
A flash of bright light filled my vision, fading into a soft blue glow. Only seconds later, the ground began to shake, growing stronger and stronger until a shockwave of wind and snow sent us tumbling backward.
I withdrew into my shell. Time always seems to slow down in there, and as usual, I could not help but reconsider every life choice that led me to that moment.
When I emerged, she was gone. Only then did the wind begin to pick up again. It was as if the mountain had been holding its breath. Icecream and I, hesitantly at first, agreed to investigate what had happened.
Stepping carefully through the snow towards the spot, I began to feel uneasy again. Would we find the false king there? Would there be no trace?
To our horror, in the center of a perfect circle– another shallow, snowy pit– was the silhouette of a shambling beast as it rose to its feet and stared directly at us. The false king had hung on to life after being hit with the blast.
However, it was remarkably different in appearance.