“Can one of you please pull out this infernal blade?”
The gray-haired woman closest to him rose. Her bare feet whispered across the floor as she approached. She bent slightly at the waist and gripped the hilt of the sword as tightly as her arthritic hands would allow, then lifted the vile weapon out of his back and cast it aside.
“Thank you.” Zeus pulled himself to a sitting position and placed a kind touch on the woman’s hand. Although his wound would take considerable time to heal without the aid of Asclepius, at least there was hope that the blood loss would slow to a crawl. The incessant cacophony of blood pounding in his ears had already lessened, and as such he now heard something which gave him a further glimmer of hope … the sound of wings beating the air outside the tower! If his godly senses were intact and the feeling wasn’t mere wishful thinking, there also appeared to be a healer of sorts nearby!
Chapter 12
Brian couldn’t help feeling as if he should have kept his mouth shut earlier. It was like he had tempted fate by making light of the situation. His rapidly clouding eyes told him that the army of machines was indeed moving more quickly than any of them had thought possible. So fast, in fact, he barely had time to voice his warning to Edward before they had glazed over completely, giving him the appearance of one who was possessed by a demonic entity. His breath came in ragged gasps that was increasingly difficult to draw. If we don’t get in the air soon, I might pass out from lack of oxygen. Once again, it was as if he had tempted the powers that be. The thought had no more than crossed his mind when his body went as limp as a sack of potatoes.
Concern creased Edward’s brow. He was frustrated about being right earlier. The wizard had truly hoped that Skarr would have been correct, but it hadn’t been more than an hour after the conversation when the ancient dragon had been forced to take to the skies. If he was thankful for any one thing, it was the shaman’s innate ability to detect when evil was close. Although, now that the sorcerer was drawing nearer to the Throne of the Gods he wasn’t sure what was worse. He knew what chased after them was bad, but the situation unfolding before his very eyes seemed like it could be even worse! Until a few minutes ago, he hadn’t thought such a thing was possible.
It wasn’t quite dusk yet, so Edward got a glimpse of the forces arrayed against them. Skarr had begun to fly closer to the ground, probably because she was beyond fatigued and searching for a good place to land. The lower altitude brought the Black Knight’s armies into sharper view. The machines littering the landscape around the base of the tower were unlike the animalistic monstrosities the party had been fleeing from for what seemed like weeks. They almost reminded Edward of his first encounter on Earth, when he’d nearly been struck by a car. The distant mission brought tears to his eyes as he thought about Melissa for the first time in quite a while. She had annoyed the hell out of him in the beginning, but he’d later grown to care for her deeply, perhaps even loved her.
Suddenly, memories of everyone Edward had lost recently bombarded his mind as if a floodgate had opened. Foremost among them was his mother, Victoria, whom he’d had to endure watching be crushed into millions of icy shards in the deserted inn. Then there was the aforementioned healer, Melissa, turned into a zombie during their trip to future Earth. The werewolf, Jack, who had valiantly fought by their side from day one, after meeting with the wizard outside of Haven. He had been a tremendous ally, even though Jack suffered with the loss of his wife Natasha on a daily basis. Going deeper into his memories, Mike surfaced. In the brief span of time that Edward got to know the man from Pennsylvania, he had grown to admire Mike’s fighting spirit. The fact that he’d been turned into a vampire toward the end was irrelevant. Nothing shook the man’s morals. Also in the wake of destruction Edward seemed plagued by was every horse he’d grown fond of, the most painful of which was the beast Brian had accidentally turned inside out while attempting to heal it. Last, but hardly least, the baby dragon that had called itself Sygax. In his final act of bravery, the youngster had died trying to destroy the Black Knight’s mechanical army.
Edward gripped the ridged spine of the dragon tightly, startled by the sharp movement of Skarr’s enormous head as she quickly turned it to look to her rear. “What’s wrong?” The question barely escaped his lips as he craned his neck to see what had commanded the ancient creature’s attention. The limp body of the red-haired shaman fell through the sky like a sack of potatoes, plummeting soundlessly toward the ground. Skarr did everything she could to alter her trajectory, but her massive body took too long to get pointed in a direction that had any hope of her being able to pluck Brian from the air. When the shaman’s body struck the ground Edward cringed, the impact raising a small cloud of dust which obscured him from view momentarily.
Despite the fact that there wasn’t really sufficient room for a landing, Skarr dove toward the ground in hopes that Brian was still alive. Her giant claws struck the soil with the force of a small earthquake, jarring the human riders which had still been on her back. The death grip Edward had on the ridge of her spine prevented him from being thrown off, though Katie and Julie weren’t so fortunate. Neither of the two women had been prepared for the abrupt stop. Even if the rapidly aging woman had, it was likely her fingers would have been to weak to hold on. Thankfully the fall wasn’t far. Worst case scenario was that they might have some bumps, bruises, scrapes, and maybe a broken bone or two. The wizard seriously doubted Brian was that lucky. His free-fall had been like taking a swan dive from the uppermost portion of the castle Edward had grown up in. The chances he had survived were slim. Even if the shaman had miraculously lived through the impact it was highly probable his frame would be so broken it would be worthless.
Although the dragon’s landing had stirred up more dust to further shroud the shaman’s form, one quick exhalation of breath from her nostrils blew it out of the way. As Edward leapt down from Skarr’s back he could already see that the prognosis wasn’t going to be good. Brian’s body was crumpled in such a manner that suggested he wasn’t even human. He looked more like a puppet master’s broken and discarded marionette, the only difference being the crimson stain soaking into the sandy soil underneath him. Edward rushed to his side and quickly fell to his knees beside the red-haired man. Placing his palms on the ground to brace himself, he lowered his head to Brian’s chest, praying to the gods that he would hear a heartbeat. He listened intently for nearly a minute, but heard nothing to give him hope. Sadly, Edward raised his head and let out quivering sigh. With tears already beginning to stream down his cheeks, he turned his gaze toward Skarr. “He’s gone,” Edward announced, his voice trembling. From the corner of his eye he saw movement, not from the shaman’s body but from farther away. Still in a fog of sadness, he watched the young blonde woman approach in a limping gait.
Julie cried out, making frantic gestures with her hands and pointing toward the ground behind her. “Edward, come quick!”
With a pit of dread in his stomach, he rose to his feet and rushed toward the hysterical woman. When he saw Katie lying on the dusty soil behind Julie his heart sank. Not another one! Not Katie! I don’t know if I can live with myself if she’s dead, too, especially considering how close we are to getting help from the gods. Thankfully, as Edward stepped closer he noticed the shallow rise and fall of her chest. In light of the realization that Katie was alive, he turned his concerned gaze toward Julie to assess her condition. “How are you? Are you okay?”
“I’ll live, I think.”
The expression on Julie’s face said she wasn’t entirely certain of the truth behind her words. The grimace of pain on her countenance was obvious, but Edward still smiled encouragingly at her in hopes the small token would make her feel a little better. She shuffled back toward her best friend as the wizard returned his attention to the aging woman. When he did, Katie’s eyelids fluttered open and she stared at him in such a way as to suggest he was unfamiliar to her, as if she’d struck her head and been afflicted with amnesia.
***
While Edward tended to his injured friends, Skarr remained by the motionless body of the shaman. She was growing increasingly nervous as time passed because her companions seemed to be oblivious to the approaching danger. As the ancient dragon surveyed her surroundings she realized that her time on this world was getting shorter by the minute. The situation appeared hopeless in her estimation. Even though they were shrouded in an enormous cloud of dust, the metallic bodies of the Black Knight’s mechanical army sparkled in the late day sun. They were approaching the tower with much greater speed than any of them had anticipated. By her calculations, the army would be upon them in less than an hour!
The machines weren’t her only concern, however. The giant metal objects which littered the fields around the tower were also troubling, even if they weren’t moving or giving any indication that they might be a threat. Beyond the hulking shells, Skarr could see more dust being raised in the east. Her eyesight was keen, but the only features she could discern about the encroaching forces were that they appeared to be human. Although, their shuffling gait would suggest they were wounded. Even so, the shambling humans were closer than the army of machines coming from the north. With the way the luck of her companions seemed to be going, it was very likely that both battalions of enemies would arrive at Skarr’s position at virtually the same time!
“Wizard!” The deep, rumbling tone of her voice commanded attention. Edward glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with the mythical beast. “Gather your friends and get inside of the tower, now! There is no time for dallying!” She noticed the expression of panic on his face as he turned back toward the women. He bent down, seemingly whispering words of encouragement in Katie’s ear. Moments later he rose to his feet after scooping the fragile woman into his arms. Although she was far from heavy, Edward’s thin build and lack of true muscle made the burden of carrying her appear next to impossible. If it weren’t for the adrenaline that was surely coursing through his veins he might not have been able to accomplish the task.
As he struggled not to drop Katie, he stopped in front of the mighty dragon. “What’s going on, Skarr? Why the urgency?”
“The battle we’ve been trying to avoid is now eminent. There is no time for idle chit-chat, get inside the tower!”
Edward’s brow furrowed deeply. “And what about you?”
“I’ll hold off your enemies for as long as I can. Now, get moving!”
A sigh of resignation blew from the wizard’s lips as he began to turn toward the tower. As he did, Edward caught a glimpse of Brian’s motionless body on the ground behind Skarr. A grim expression creased his features as he gently bent over and placed Katie on the ground for a moment.
“What are you doing?” The ancient dragon’s voice shook the air as she grew impatient and angry. “Did you not hear my command, wizard?”
Edward scowled at the beast. In that moment, he didn’t care if his actions made Skarr upset with him. “I will not leave Brian exposed as he is. If there is any hope of being able to bring him back, I must protect him in any way I can. If the situation is as dire as you seem to think, then you won’t be able to focus on keeping our enemies from ripping him apart.” He paused for a few seconds, half anticipating the dragon to swat him aside like an annoying fly. Her huge, golden eyes narrowed, but she didn’t make any aggressive moves toward him. “This will only take a minute, I promise. Once I’m done, I will do as you have commanded.”
Although Skarr’s expression didn’t change, her posture appeared to be slightly less tense. “Whatever you intend to do, be quick about it,” she snapped.
The wizard nodded gratefully then turned his attention to Brian. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Edward closed his eyes and started to concentrate. Once his mind was focused on the desired spell, he opened his eyelids. He whispered the words he’d heard his father use many times and gestured with his hands. Within seconds, the opaque bubble his father had used to protect Edward as a child began to form. Before it was fully formed the shaman coughed, spraying a mist of blood from his mouth. Edward knelt down beside the sphere as the veil of darkness engulfed the shaman. “Be still and stay inside the bubble, my friend. I will return for you as soon as I’m able.” There was no response to his words. The best Edward could hope for was that Brian had heard and understood his warning. More than anything, he was just thankful the man had survived the fall from Skarr’s back.
Knowing there was nothing else he could do for the red-haired man, he returned to Katie’s prone form and gathered her back into his arms. With a grim expression, he nodded at Skarr and hoped it wasn’t going to be the last time he saw the mighty beast. “Good luck, my ancient friend.”
Chapter 13
As the Black Knight exited the stone spire another problem came into view. The troublesome party of his adversaries had reached the tower! In his weakened condition, there was no way in hell he could consider taking them on himself, no matter how much pleasure it would give him. Fucking incompetent bastard! You are worthless, Verin! His mental tirade went unanswered, yet again, even though he could see his army of machines on the horizon. By his estimation, the massive wave of his mechanical abominations should be here in an hour or less. Hopefully it would be soon enough. The pain-in-the-ass wizard appeared to have enlisted the aid of a dragon, which would make exterminating him more complicated. The zombie hordes he’d brought from Earth would be too slow to be effective against the ancient creature and the sorcerer’s party. Besides, their presence was primarily a back-up to his Grecian soldiers, meant to finish the job on Zeus if his human followers failed.
He gazed across the battlefield, contemplating his options. The Nazi regiment was in tatters, the ground surrounding the tower was littered with their bodies and the soil was soaked with their blood. If any of them had escaped Zeus’ wrath, they were likely hiding in the tanks that were scattered across the landscape. Not one of the war machines moved, nor gave any indication that they were occupied. Although their engines still rattled and hummed with life, it appeared that if they were indeed occupied their drivers were probably cowering inside the metal husks like terrified school children. Since it was his only real option, the Black Knight began to move from one Panzer to the next to check for survivors and hopefully re-motivate them to do his bidding. Weakened by the deaths of his worshipers it wouldn’t be an easy task to accomplish. In his current state, the Black Knight was unable to wear the disguise of an alternate form, such as the one he used to get the Germans to follow him here in the first place. Masquerading as Adolf Hitler made that simple, but now he would have to persuade them while in the grotesque body his father had cursed him to wear. Chances were better that his subjects would die of fright than be inspired to follow his orders. It was, however, possible that the Black Knight was wrong. Fear could oftentimes be a powerful motivator.
As he moved from one tank to the next, he started to believe he was wasting his time. Every machine so far had been devoid of human life, the occupants being nothing more than smoldering, blackened lumps of flesh. Apparently when Zeus had cast his lightning bolts from the heavens the electrical current had cooked the tank operators. The Black Knight growled in frustration, though it certainly explained why the Panzers had stopped laying siege to the tower. Not that the brief bombardment had caused any notable damage to the structure. Ares was about to give up the search when he finally came across a tank with someone alive inside. Amusingly enough, it was the officer who’d been in charge of the entire regiment. The Black Knight grinned upon entering the machine, his long, fang-like teeth dripping with a steady stream of saliva as if he was a hungry animal focused on its next meal. The writhing skin of his face almost appeared to dance with glee as the man cringed in the rearmost corner of the tank’s interior.
“Get over here, you sniveling coward! I need you to fire the weapon,” the Black Knight commanded.
The hysterical man wiped the sweat from his brow on the sleeve of his unifor
m, never once taking his eyes off the hideous entity before him. In all likelihood the creature would kill him if he didn’t muster up the courage to move. “I-I’m a-afraid it’s n-not possible,” he stammered, in a thick German accent.
The Black Knight’s eyes changed from their normal color to a deep red hue that flickered like the glowing embers of a fire. “Is the machine no longer functional?” The anger in his voice caused his question to vibrate deafeningly within the vehicle. The commander quickly clapped his hands over his ears, but the sound went right through them. The noise bounced through his head as if it were attempting to pulverize his brain, the pain it evoked forcing him to squeeze his eyelids shut for a moment.
When the sensation began to abate, the commander opened his eyes. Part of him was hoping that the whole scenario was a nightmarish delusion brought on by stress and that the demonic creature would no longer be there. His shoulders slumped upon the realization that the Black Knight was very much real, and staring angrily at him as he awaited the answer to his question.
“It requires more than one person to accurately fire the cannon,” he finally replied, cringing when he spoke as if expecting the demon to flay him. When the Black Knight made no hostile move toward him, his confidence grew slightly. He’s not going to kill me. He needs me. “If I may take a moment to explain?”
“Make it quick, mortal! Lest my enemies get away yet again!” The bony toenails on his clawed feet clicked on the metal floor impatiently.
“Presuming that our target is stationary, it will take two people to fire the weapon.” The commander rose to his feet and hesitantly approached the demon. “One individual is positioned here,” he stated, indicating a small platform. “This person is the spotter. He acquires the target through the open hatch and relays bearings and distance to the gunner using these.” The commander pointed toward a pair of binoculars, which hung from a hook near the exit ladder. “The second individual is the gunner. He sits in this seat,” the commander moved through the interior of the tank and indicated an extremely confined space which was flanked on either side by wheel-like mechanisms, “and uses the levers to adjust the position of the cannon. Once the spotter confirms that the gun is on target, the gunner fires it.”
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