(...)
That hair of his. The fiery-colored hair stuck out between thin, black horns, pointing upward, and fell unruly on either side of the muzzle. The large nose, shaped like the beak of a predatory bird, harmonized with the large, yellow eyes with tiny pupils. The enormous, claw-tipped, leathery wings promised a quick death to anyone who would fight their owner.
The monster leaned over the glowing glass sphere and listened to the wizard's soft words. The wizard's red, loose-fitting robe contrasted with the green skin of the muscular creature. His calm, almost soothing voice and the animal's menacing growls were the only sounds filling the cave. The wizard knew the stone walls were the only witnesses to this conspiracy between man and chimera.
"Do you understand?" "The man asked, extending his hand toward the creature scratching its head, making a gesture that would allow him to cast a spell that would prevent the chimera from forgetting anything it had just heard. The only response was a blood-curdling snarl and the sound of enormous claws ploughing the rock floor.
"You only have three days," the wizard said after the departing man, "do not fail me."
The chimera took one last look at the seated man and turned into the corridor leading to the cave's exit.
The wizard leaned against the rock wall, one hand holding a glowing yellow sphere closer to him, and with the other, he absently stroked his short, pointed gray beard, contemplating the consequences of putting his plans into action.
The chimera began to descend, exhausted by several hours of nonstop flight. Since dawn, all she had seen were the sands of an endless desert. It had been a long time since she'd spotted a single moving animal, or even a blade of grass to indicate any life existed here. It was becoming increasingly difficult to fly in the full sun, which was incredibly hot at this altitude. However, she flew, remembering her master's last words, "Do not fail me." She was terrified of failing, and perhaps only this fear kept her alive. She began to fall clumsily toward the lonely rocks. A mountain of enormous stones nestled in the midst of vast sands looked like an island surrounded by a sea, only this sea was dry, hot sand. The chimera landed on one of the rocks, digging its powerful claws into the stone as if it were soft earth. Fragments of rock tore off, forming a miniature avalanche, fell onto the sand, and a moment later sank into it, leaving no trace of its existence except for scratches in the rock, which would be erased by the wind-driven sand grains. The monster folded its wings and headed for the entrance to a cave located near where it stood. Hot and thirsty, it quickened its pace, eager to escape the cave's shadows as quickly as possible. It entered the stuffy interior and began to descend deeper and deeper through the frequently twisting corridor. It walked for several minutes until it saw a faint glow and felt the cool, damp air on its heated wings, heralding the existence of some underground spring. It entered a vast room, whose floor, walls, and semicircular dome were all rock, and looked around. It was dark, illuminated only by spheres that were strikingly similar to the wizard's, except these emitted a green glow rather than yellow. As instructed, a container lay on a small rock ledge against one wall, flanked by two green lamps. It seemed torn from another world. Looking at it, its shape was impossible to discern, for it seemed to be constantly changing, like a drop of wine spilled by a careless sailor on a table during a storm, as the ship tossed by the waves lurches from side to side. The chimera stood before the object, black as a moonless night, and extended her hand toward it. She felt the cold emanating from it and tried to withdraw her hand, but it was too late. Some invisible force guided her actions. She picked up the mysterious object and watched as it slid between her clawed fingers. But miraculously, it didn't fall to the floor; instead, it returned to her hand and slid across the back of her hand. She turned abruptly, hearing strange sounds behind her. The entire cathedral-sized cave was filled with dark, or rather black, figures, all peering at her from beneath hoods covering their heads and wrapped in impenetrable black cloaks. The monster raised his hand above his head, letting out an angry growl at the uninvited visitors.Then he turned to face the nearest stone wall, ready to complete the task, and threw the mysterious container at it, putting all his remaining strength into the throw. The container flew several meters and with a dull thud hit the wall. It disappeared. The chimera stared at the wall for a moment longer, searching for any trace, but neither the wall nor the floor showed any sign of destruction. She remembered the strange figures creeping up behind her, and, ready to repel the attack, she turned to look for her opponent. There was no one. She was the only creature in the cave. She approached the miniature lake in the center of the room and leaned in, eager to finally quench her thirst. She dipped her muzzle in the cold, pleasantly refreshing water when a slender arm shot out and unexpectedly grabbed her hair. She howled in pain and stepped back, assuming a defensive stance, waiting to see what would emerge from the dark water. The surface of the underground lake, however, remained impeccably smooth, and the only signs that something had actually happened were a pounding head and red hair floating on the surface. The chimera turned and, with the fastest strides her useless wings would allow, moved toward the exit. He breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of sunlight. She emerged onto the rock where he had recently landed and stretched her wings. Huge flaps of skin stretched across a massive, living framework of bones fluttered, then, as they had hundreds of times before, lifted their owner into the air.on which he had recently landed and stretched her wings. Huge flaps of skin stretched across a massive, living frame formed by bones fluttered, then, as they had hundreds of times before, lifted their owner into the air.on which he had recently landed and stretched her wings. Huge flaps of skin stretched across a massive, living frame formed by bones fluttered, then, as they had hundreds of times before, lifted their owner into the air.
(...)
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