Blackstone

by C E Johnson

  They’re strong, Xena answered. They’ll fight well with you.

  You must attack quickly and in a small wedge, Ammolite advised. Don’t delay as more half-deads will be coming.

  Isabelle brushed her hair out of her face with a trembling hand and Anna had turned pale while staring at Maaca. Isabelle began talking in a rush with a burst of emotion, “Are you sure about this? Maybe we can make a run for it around them. I don’t like the look of her.” She gestured toward Maaca.

  A shadow began to blow toward them from the north. A storm’s coming in, Xena whispered. The breeze started to pick up, rattling the trees and the leaves began calling to them in eager whispers.

  “If we race down the hill, I think we can go through the middle of them before they realize what’s going on.” Emily tried to sound confident, but her voice came out soft and it was all she could do not to cry.

  This is the best plan, Ammolite encouraged her to get moving.

  “I’ll organize my warriors,” Crittenden hurriedly began to back away. “We should be able to create enough confusion to make ourselves a hole to get to the gates.” He attempted to project confidence, but Xena let Emily smell his growing fear.

  Luke drew his sword. He started discussing last minute sword techniques to the girls. Once he finished, Emily gave her own advice. “Stay close to me; I’m putting up a shield.” She put her hand on her bluestone Pyramis in her leather pouch. Mouthing the words to her spell with her bluestones lending their power, she formed her blue veil of protection. “Anna, use your dragon-spell and keep a lookout from above. Attack any wyverns that might threaten our group. Your scales and my shield spell should protect you.”

  Anna clenched her jaw and gave Emily a brave nod. She spoke the words of her incantation and her coral aura splashed into view as she transformed. Spreading her wings to their full extent, she launched and gracefully flew upwards.

  “Isabelle, see what animals you can draw to us while firing your arrows.” Emily brushed a loose ringlet of hair behind Isabelle’s ear.

  Isabelle appeared flushed and apprehensive, but she nodded. Her voice sounded small and tight as she began her incantation, but there was a spark of confidence burning in her eyes. “I can sense a few corsairs to the east of our position and a streak of saber-toothed tigers to the west. I think I can pull them all in.”

  Emily forced a smile on her face, wondering if there was a way her team might get through this. “Luke, Elizabeth, between arrows and bolts, use magus-grenades and your fire and ice.”

  “I’m ready.” Luke stepped forward with his hands abruptly coiling into fists. There was a warm inner fire in his brown eyes. “Lead us to victory. I’ll be guarding your back.” Rune also took a step forward with his great head held high.

  Emily couldn’t help but admire Luke; he was becoming such a strong man. She addressed her friends one more time. “Don’t let the fear of killing get in your way and don’t let worry overcome your skills. These are half-deads, probably drawn by the evilest magicians on Acacia, from men like Samil. I think we should cast them back from where they came. Stay close to me as we run. If you’re injured, scream out my name and I’ll try and heal you. The time for a battle has come.”

  “Look out!” Isabelle pointed above and behind their group. Emily whipped around in a smooth motion to see a wyvern threading its way through the trees toward Droth. She nocked a red-stoned arrow to Storm and let the arrow fly, feeling grim satisfaction as the creature erupted into a black cloud of death-smoke. Scores of half-dead faces turned in their direction just as the rain began to fall. Surprise turned to anger. Lightning flashed and spit.

  Now! Ammolite thundered.

  Now! Emily roared through her dream-link to her mother and Crittenden. “To Droth and then to Shadoe!” Emily screamed. Luke bolted into a steady run, pacing at her side down the ridge at a speed with which the elves could keep pace. He unloaded his crossbow and his quarrels struck in quick succession. Elven bows added to the flying steel, dropping half-deads ahead of their position in a tight line. Xena and Rune snapped deadly in the shadows in close proximity helping to clear a small path. “Droth!” Emily called to her one-time enemy as the startled half-deads instinctively parted for their approach. “We’re here to help.”

  Droth whirled around, his eyes were wide and wild. He appeared to instantly reassess his previously hopeless situation. “We’re with you,” he called. Droth drew his sword in a smooth motion. “Lambo, we’ll fight with the elves.” Without hesitation, Droth and Lambo added to the wedge. The three Dobermans sniffed at Rune, but they fell in behind Xena, their pack-order decided seamlessly. Meanwhile, several wolves darted out of the woods to stand with Rune.

  “We’re heading to Shadoe’s fortress.” Emily pointed toward the looming walls of Shadoe’s realm. Droth nodded.

  “Watch the dogs!” Maaca roared out her order. “They have heightened motions.” She reluctantly backed up as Xena led her small pack in her direction. Maaca’s silver hair swirled around her determined face and she made signals to her troops. Her perfect lips curled slowly upward, and Emily realized she was thrilled at the new challenge. Wordlessly, the half-deads reformed like a single living beast and gave pursuit. Emily moved so close to Maaca that she noted small figures of wolves etched as an insignia into her shoulder-guard as she ran by. More vampires were flooding in to stand next to their queen, and although Maaca had nearly insurmountable odds in her favor, Emily’s group was rapidly moving past the bulk of her warriors into the opening Xena was creating with Rune, and they had a true chance to escape.

  This is going to be interesting. Emily unleashed the fetters on her heightened senses.

  I have a pack with me, Xena roared in exhilaration. We can do this.

  “Don’t let them escape,” Maaca roared to her half-dead warriors. She sprang into action, moving parallel to Emily with her Black-blades sprinting over the fallen leaves and pine needles around her in a loose formation.

  Goblins, Xena warned just as two squad-like clusters of stocky creatures bearing scimitar-shaped swords appeared before them. The long-haired foul beasts stank of death, and they launched themselves at Emily’s group, screaming curses as they ran. Luke rattled off the last of his crossbow bolts which combined with a stream of green elven arrows and turquoise and pink feathered arrows from Elizabeth and Isabelle. The missiles silenced the majority of the goblins emerging along their path and a cloud of black and red smoke erupted before them. The added stench of the mist filled Emily’s stomach with distaste.

  “Ogres!” Elaina roared, pointing ahead of their position. The ground began to shake and a group of over twenty ogres came crashing through the forest, surging forward in an attempt to block their path. Luke deftly tied away his crossbow to attachments on his back while still in motion and unsheathed Draculafire. The scattered rays glinted on the huge steel weapon.

  “Grenades!” Emily called. Isabelle pulled a magus-grenade from her belt and threw it in the air. Once the device neared the ogres, Luke pointed Draculafire at the projectile and shot a small fireball from his sword. When the fire contacted the gourd-grenade, a powerful explosion rocked the woods. Blackish-gold smoke formed where several of the ogres once stood. The remaining ogres hesitated and in that instant Emily’s squad had passed them. Maybe we can make it to the gates without losing anyone, Emily prayed. The rain began to fall more violently, coming down in huge dark sheets.

  Were-creatures approaching, Xena advised through their link. The wolves fairly flew across the ground and everything began to change. Rune’s pack took down one were-creature, but the others caught their rear-guard of elves before Emily could react, pulling down two warriors in the blink of an eye. As green death-smoke erupted in a swirling pattern in the air, another elf was dragged down with a were-wolf attached to his throat. The half-deads around the released energy paused. They howled with a mixture of ecstasy and anger as they assimilated the downed warriors.

  “Rear-guards, defend!” Critt
enden called. Xena and her pack emerged from the brush to join with Rune to help protect the elves from the were-creature onslaught, but the sheer numbers of attackers took down another two elves before their defense solidified and they could resume their run.

  Maaca occasionally flashed into view as she followed their group. She was not attempting to fight personally yet, but Emily could see her directing everything. She was sending in small squads of vampires and shades with short yells and hand-signals whenever possible. She reformed her half-deads into small units and let them attack in teams. The creatures were skilled, darting in to fight in particularly deadly waves, and four more elves fell to their attack.

  Do not attack Maaca yet, Ammolite warned passionately. Today is not the day for your battle.

  “Anna’s helping keep away the wyverns.” Elizabeth pointed above their position and Emily glanced up to see Anna, in her dragon transformation, fighting with two flying half-dead lizards. More wyverns started flying toward Anna, and Emily’s shields began draining rapidly as her shield-magic helped protect her friend.

  “We’re close!” Emily yelled in encouragement to her crew, but her heart was hammering in her chest and she wasn’t sure how many of their squad would escape. Boulder, her ki roared, and she barely dodged an enormous stone thrown accurately by an ogre. The rock skipped over the forest floor and landed on a female elf warrior at the back of their group. Emily winced in dismay as a green cloud of smoke formed at the elf’s death.

  “Gargoyles!” Elaina shouted while pointing at two gargoyles baring the path ahead. “They’re slow, but strong. Swords and arrows will have a tough time penetrating their skin. Avoid them if possible.”

  Grenades, Ammolite whispered.

  “More grenades!” Emily called. She used her own heightened strength to launch a grenade in the direction of the gargoyles. Elizabeth detonated the device with a perfectly aimed iceball and one of the gargoyles went down. The blast pushed the other gargoyle far enough away that they were able to dash by before it could react. Although they were past the bulk of the army, the remaining half-deads were fighting with incredible intensity. Emily slung Storm over her shoulder while unsheathing Lightleecher. Wyvern, her ki warned and she dodged to the right as a wyvern abruptly fell from above. It landed at their feet alive, but with charred skin still smoking from Anna’s attack. Rune and his pack fell upon it, quickly dispatching the wounded beast. As foul black and orange fumes were emitted, Isabelle coughed violently and began to retch, but she remained in motion.

  Maaca’s entering the battle, Xena warned.

  Out of the corner of her eye Emily saw the vampire queen dart in with two drawn swords. She made a strike so rapid, her sword was a black shadowy blur of steel. Maaca’s weapons embedded themselves into the neck of a distracted elf. Emily shuddered at the noise that came from Maaca as she inhaled the death-smoke. Lightning flashed, illuminating a rapture that formed on Maaca’s face. A scream of ecstasy escaped her full lips that were streaked with blood and gore.

  Queen Elaina roared in rage, charging the vampire queen. However, before her steel could strike, Maaca’s honor guard appeared, surrounding their queen who appeared momentarily dazed as she assimilated her kill. Elaina’s blow decapitated the nearest vampire and a dark black cloud of smoke spewed out in a hazy mist.

  Call her back, Ammolite warned.

  “Mother!” Emily screamed, “Stay with me, please!” Elaina turned at the sound of her daughter’s voice. She frowned in frustration at having to leave the battle, but she left the vampires and sped up to rejoin the streaking group. “There’s too many half-deads. I don’t know if we can make it through,” Emily spoke wearily. She felt wasted and worn. Her body was nearly spent and she felt close to collapse.

  “We’ll make it.” Elaina pursed her lips in a grim line. She and Luke launched themselves forward in front of Emily in a heightened blur of steel, carving a path for their wedge which had shrunk dramatically in size. Time and again, bursts of pain were lancing through Emily’s body, slamming into her consciousness and splintering her vision as her shield was taking more significant hits. Cuts were forming over her body as her protective shield was continually tested and tears of pain and frustration welled into her eyes. The shades and vampires were beginning to close off their gauntlet ahead, and more pain sliced into her mind, glimmering bolts of agony that shattered her psyche.

  “Elizabeth, Isabelle, launch your last grenades!” Luke directed a final attack in the hopeless situation. They launched a volley of gourd-grenade explosives, which gained them another hundred yards of progress, but the forming masses were too strong.

  Emily felt her mind scrambling for options that just weren’t there. “We’re so close,” she wailed.

  “It’s not over yet.” Isabelle gave Emily a determined glance. All at once a cluster of animals careened out of the woods, just ahead of them, clearing a new path. Corsairs, a mastodon, and a group of saber-toothed tigers created chaos amongst the half-deads, where moments before there had been confident precision and order. The animals were in a horrible rage, creating another small opening that they took full advantage of. The death and havoc wreaked by the beasts was creating a large thick forming cloud of black smoke that combined with the driving rain to swallow the small band up in a momentary cloak of protection. However, despite the strength of the thundering creatures, the animals were sequentially being killed by the half-deads. As a boulder finished off the last mastodon, Emily wondered what choices they had left.

  Awwooooo, a warhorn roared angrily while trumpets blared and blasted, even louder than the thunder. The gates of the fortress opened and a group of elven horsemen on barded Botai horses barreled down the path coming from Shadoe’s kingdom. Flashes of lightning glittered deadly on the points of their lances, and the black steel danced in a dark flame of death. Shock and surprise registered in the half-deads and obscenities rose to fill the air.

  Shadoe, Ammolite whispered.

  He’s so majestic, Emily thought in dazed shock as the leader of the rescuing group of elves thundered toward her. He was an orange magician and his aura shone like a beacon in Emily’s eyes.

  He called out in a deep voice, “Follow the path. The gates are open for you. We’ll hold off the half-deads.” Shadows fell upon his silver helm, making him appear both powerful and deadly at the same time.

  “Shadoe.” Emily’s mother was close to tears.

  As they limped through the thick walls, created by felled massive trees from the forest, Emily glanced back to see Maaca in the distance. The vampire’s face was covered with elf blood, but she didn’t appear angry. A satisfied smile sat happily on her face. She has us just where she wants us, Emily thought to herself with horror. Anna descended and transformed in the middle of their remaining warriors. She appeared similarly exhausted, but she had enough strength to stagger along with their group. Elves were swarming over the walls of the ramparts with scores of longbows, all aiming at any half-deads that came into range around their elven cavalry.

  The warriors on horseback formed a wall, only retreating once everyone had entered the safety of the outer barrier. Eventually, under a storm of arrows, the gates were shut. Emily looked up at their savior, Shadoe. His forest green plate mail was so dark it looked almost black, with clasps of pure silver. His cloak was also forest green, but there was a rim of orange fur by the collar that set him apart. He rode a light brown horse that was the largest Botai that Emily had ever laid eyes on.

  “I’ve never seen so many half-deads.” Shadoe took off his helmet, shaking his head in disgust. He had short silver-colored hair, a sharp nose, high cheekbones, and green eyes with orange flecks that were somehow warm and laughing despite the carnage they had just witnessed. His expression froze once his glimmering eyes took in the elven queen. “Elaina,” he whispered.

  C H A P T E R 2 2

  Prime Portal

  Andrew Dalton stared at the dark cave-like opening on the side of the mountain. He was near the
summit and the chill in the frigid air took his breath away. Above him was a white snow-capped mountaintop with small rivulets of cold water descending like the branches of an upside-down dark tree. A vulture wheeled overhead and Andrew glanced at it resentfully, wishing Ladon had been able to take him to the very top.

  You’ve got to keep moving while your energy is at its peak, Dax urged from Andrew’s shoulder. He moved to a pocket position in the lower center of Andrew’s armor to preserve better balance.

  Always cracking the whip over me, Andrew teased as he continued his ascent along the rocky path to the tunnel. Great, smooth, unadorned, stone doors stood sentry at the passage, carved into the wall of the mountain. Thankfully there were no guards posted and he only had to use a low-level spell of opening to gain access.

  I’m sure there haven’t been many visitors to this region of Acacia over the years, and they’ve become a little lazy, Dax suggested.

  But there’s danger ahead, Andrew whispered. He sensed the trouble with his ki. Half-deads, warned his inner voice.

  We need to find the portal and go through as rapidly as possible, Dax advised. They both heard gruff voices from the passageway. Andrew walked cautiously through the dark. Mage-lights were evenly spaced along the wall, but he suppressed their lighting because he didn’t want his color of magic to be a possible signal to the inhabitants of his presence. The shaft branched into two paths with one passage continuing along a tunnel and the other ending at the entrance to a large cavern. Andrew sent Dax to peek around the corner of the large cavern.

  Groups of vampires, goblins and were-creatures are scattered through the chamber, Dax whispered. The otter allowed Andrew to see through his eyes. Several vampires near to his position were eating meat dripping with a dark red liquid. Other half-deads were working on their weapons.

  One of the vampires at the nearby table appeared to be in charge. He was talking to the group in a calm, deep voice and the others fell silent as they listened. “Iscar wants more shipments of magestones sent through the Prime Portal.”