by Clayton Wood
“The Original came with several of these,” Dominus stated, gesturing at a couple of ammunition magazines nearby. “Some carry fifteen bullets, others twice that many. We’ve used up a few to analyze the powder.”
“So we’ve got…” Hunter began, counting the magazines, “…sixty bullets? That should be more than enough.”
“You sure?” Vi asked. “This is you we’re talking about.”
“Ha ha,” Hunter grumbled. He grabbed the rifle, getting a feel for it, then checking it out carefully. There was a safety, a trigger, the magazine…pretty standard stuff. “I should fire a few practice rounds,” he stated.
“Feel free,” Dominus replied.
The rifle came with a shoulder strap, and Hunter slung it over his shoulder, grabbing the magazines and stuffing them in his pockets.
“Let’s go,” Vi prompted.
They made their way out of the building, descending the long stairway back to Lowtown.
“Hunter, if I might have a word with you,” Tykus requested, putting a hand on Hunter’s shoulder. Hunter hesitated, then nodded. “We’ll meet up with you,” Tykus promised Dominus.
“Very well,” Dominus stated. Vi, Xerxes, and Sukri followed the former duke as he made his way back to the wall, and Tykus turned to face Hunter.
“Would you walk with me for a moment?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure.”
The former king turned down a side-street, setting a leisurely pace. He clasped his hands behind his back, staring down at his feet thoughtfully for a bit. Then he turned to Hunter.
“You know Zagamar better than anyone,” he stated.
“I do.”
“What do you believe our chances are?” Tykus asked bluntly. Hunter hesitated.
“You really want to know?”
“Yes,” Tykus replied. “Be honest.”
Hunter turned to gaze to the wall in the distance, his jawline rippling.
“We’re going to die.”
Tykus sighed, but nodded, lowering his eyes to the street. Then he met Hunter’s gaze.
“I always knew this day would come,” he mused. “A day when a Legend like this would rise. It was inevitable I suppose.”
Hunter said nothing.
“Our world – where you and I were born – isn’t so different from this one,” Tykus continued. “Though we didn’t call them ‘Legends’ there. We called them ‘leaders.’”
“I’d say there’s a huge difference between a leader and someone who can turn you into themselves,” Hunter retorted. Tykus raised an eyebrow.
“Oh really?” he replied. “I think they’re the same. It’s most people’s nature to follow, you know. But do you know why?”
Hunter shrugged.
“Thinking is hard,” Tykus mused. “Forming an opinion is hard. It takes experience, humility. Admitting you were wrong and changing over time. All traits that are portrayed as weaknesses by men who lead.” He smiled. “It’s far easier to adopt the opinions of others. Far more enticing to have your beliefs pre-formed for you by a higher authority. Leaders know this about people. They use it to control them. And most leaders aren’t like me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hunter asked.
“I never wanted to be a leader,” Tykus answered. “I had no desire to control or gain power or influence. I suppose my kingdom is lucky for that…and that I happened to have a talent for leadership. I have my father to thank for that.”
“Your father?”
“You may know of him,” Tykus stated. “Your mother did. A man named Leif Erickson.”
Hunter’s eyes widened, and Tykus chuckled.
“You do know of him,” he said. “Over a thousand years have passed on our home world, and six thousand on this one, and yet people on both worlds still remember our family.”
“Damn,” Hunter murmured. “Just…damn.”
“My father was a wise man, and a good leader,” Tykus said. “As am I. But most men who want to lead are in it for themselves. They understand human nature and use it to their advantage. They tell their people what to believe, and the vast majority obey without ever realizing they’re being used.”
“You mean propaganda,” Hunter guessed.
“Correct,” Tykus agreed. “And the best propaganda is so subtle you’ll never see it for what it is.”
“Yeah, well sorry to burst your bubble, but I saw plenty of propaganda in the Kingdom,” Hunter grumbled.
“Of course,” Tykus agreed. “But I did not create it for my own benefit. And if you don’t provide a belief system to men, they’ll choose someone else’s. Few will develop one on their own.”
“And we’re having this conversation now because…?”
“Because your mother is a Legend who was wise enough to protect others from herself. I am a Legend who similarly limited my influence. But Zagamar will not. And the danger he poses to Man is the same as a powerful leader in our home world: he will transform them into something like himself, thereby achieving utter control.”
“And then…”
“The world we know…the haven I built for Originals like us who have the misfortune of coming through the Gate…will be gone. What is left of humanity will be gone. The Kingdom of the Deep and every other kingdom will fall. The great and varied cultures that span this world will crumble, homogenizing into one.”
“Like the Kingdom,” Hunter shot back.
Tykus smiled, his eyes twinkling.
“Exactly,” he replied. “But I built a wall around the Kingdom.”
“To keep us out.”
“And to keep us in,” Tykus added. “Legends threaten the very nature of this world. They steal the souls of everything around them. They are tyrants by their very nature…and if they don’t stop themselves, then they must be stopped by others.”
Hunter said nothing for a long moment, staring at Tykus. Then he turned to look at the Fringe again, picturing the vast army of Svartálfar that was coming for them.
“So what can we do about it?” he asked, turning back to Tykus.
“It is not the Svartálfar that threaten the world. It is not the horned serpent.”
“It’s Zagamar,” Hunter realized.
“Correct,” Tykus confirmed. “The army we face may overwhelm us. It is very likely that we will all die. But if we can take Zagamar with us, then we will have won. I will be reborn with the aid of my Ossae, and I will rebuild. And I will ensure, as has been my mission for six thousand years, that no Legend threatens the world like Zagamar.”
Hunter stared at Tykus for a long moment.
“That’s why you do this,” he realized. “That’s why you made the Kingdom.” Tykus nodded.
“To preserve the great variety and cultures of the world,” he agreed. “By creating a kingdom that walled themselves off from it.”
Hunter said nothing. Didn’t know what to say.
“And you, Hunter, have Zagamar within you. You have the gift of his power, but the wisdom and the inclination to use it for good. If the time comes – when the time comes – you must do everything you can to ensure that Zagamar falls. Do you understand?”
Hunter nodded.
“He must fall,” Tykus stated earnestly.
“I understand.”
“Perhaps,” Tykus conceded. He sighed then. “Practice with the rifle. Then go back to your friends,” Tykus advised. “Enjoy them while you can.”
“Yes sir,” Hunter replied. “And…thank you.”
Tykus smiled, patting Hunter’s shoulder.
“No Hunter,” he corrected. “Thank you.”
Boom!
The sound shot through the city like a thunderclap, echoing off the walls of the buildings around them. Hunter flinched, his head snapping forward. The sound had come from ahead.
Boom!
Far in the distance, something appeared just above the great wall. A dark shadow that blotted out the sun behind it.
Hunter’s breath caught in his throat.
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For there, rising above the wall, was the massive head of the horned serpent…and Zagamar standing atop it.
Chapter 44
Hunter burst forward, sprinting down the street toward the wall far ahead, Tykus running after him.
“Fly us to Dominus and the others!” Tykus ordered. Hunter skid to a halt, grabbing Tykus and leaping into the air. He beat his wings, rising above the buildings on either side and flying toward the wall. He spotted men standing on it, over a hundred feet from where the horned serpent’s massive head was. It was Dominus and the others…and the archers he’d seen there earlier.
Hunter flew up to the wall, landing atop it. Dominus, Vi, Camilla, Xerxes, and Sukri were there, staring at the serpent in horror. Hunter followed its head down to its long body; it had formed a ramp from the Deadlands fifty feet below all the wall up to the wall.
And the army of Svartálfar was rushing up its spine.
“Oh shit,” Sukri swore.
“Camilla, you’re up!” Dominus ordered. “Archers, flaming arrows on my command! Hunter, get ready!”
Camilla gave a sharp whistle, and her flying steed appeared; she hopped onto the saddle in one graceful movement, strapping herself to the saddle and taking off. Several large bags had been hooked to the saddle on either side; the oil to set her serpent on fire. The archers set their arrows aflame, nocking them to their bows.
“Xerxes, Vi, Sukri…intercept those Svartálfar!” Dominus commanded.
The black creatures reached the serpent’s head, leaping off to the wall below and rushing right at them. Soldiers formed a line with Xerxes, Vi, and Sukri, while Tykus stayed back with Dominus.
Hunter leapt into the air, grabbing his rifle and turning the safety off. The M1 Carbine was semi-automatic, with thirty rounds in the current magazine…and two more fifteen-round magazines in his pockets. He flew upward, hovering a good thirty feet above the wall and gliding toward Zagamar.
Camilla flew directly over the serpent’s head, dumping one of the bags of oil. The black liquid rained down on the serpent’s head, dousing it and many of the Svartálfar. But Zagamar knelt, the Svartálfar leaping atop him to form a shield; the oil splattered them, but left Zagamar untouched.
“Fire at will!” Dominus commanded.
Flaming arrows shot outward at the serpent.
The Svartálfar leapt to intercept the arrows, igniting instantly and falling to the wall in a flaming heap. More arrows flew outward at the serpent, but more Svartálfar leaped to intercept them with their own bodies. Not a single arrow managed to strike the serpent.
Vi ran back to one of the archers, grabbing their bow and nocking a flaming arrow.
“If you want something done right,” she grumbled…and shot the arrow. It flew far left of the target…and then promptly curved rightward. A Svartálfar leapt to intercept the arrow…and the second arrow Vi fired followed directly behind it, slamming into the serpent’s left eye.
Its head jerked back, flames engulfing its head in seconds. It roared, thrashing its head from side-to-side, then falling from the wall, plummeting to the Deadlands below and crushing the Svartálfar unlucky enough to be standing beneath it. It rolled madly, thrashing on the ground, trying desperately to snuff out the flames.
And through it all, Zagamar had calmly jumped from the serpent’s head, landing on the wall behind the Svartálfar that were nearly upon Vi, Xerxes, and Sukri.
“Archers, fire at the Svartálfar!” Dominus shouted.
Arrows rained down on the Svartálfar, just as the foul beasts slammed into the line of soldiers.
Xerxes roared, battering the Svartálfar with his huge fists as Vi became a whirlwind of death, slicing through the creatures with lethal grace. One of the monsters slammed into Sukri, knocking her onto her back…and she promptly tore it to shreds, raking its belly with her feet. Many of the Svartálfar were struck by the archers’ arrows and fell…but dozens more came, Zagamar following behind them.
“Fire on Zagamar!” Dominus shouted.
Arrows shot over the Svartálfar at the Legend…and Zagamar dodged them all effortlessly.
More Svartálfar piled on Xerxes and the others, and the huge Ironclad began tossing the beasts right off the wall, sending them hurtling to their deaths. Vi and Sukri managed to hold them off, but the soldiers weren’t as lucky. One-by-one they fell, torn to shreds by the dark creatures’ claws.
“Hold the line!” Dominus barked.
But the soldiers caved, and Svartálfar rushed to surround Vi, Xerxes, and Sukri. A few charged at Dominus and Tykus, who went back-to-back, cutting apart any that drew near. Sukri too was surrounded…but leapt backward nearly twenty feet into the air, landing on a Svartálfar next to Dominus and Tykus and taking it out.
Hunter readied his rifle, swooping toward the Legend. He peered through the scope at Zagamar, aiming for the head.
But Zagamar burst forward, charging at Vi and Xerxes!
Hunter cursed, flying past the Legend. He landed on the wall, skidding to a halt and turning around. Zagamar pushed through his Svartálfar, reaching Xerxes. The Svartálfar closed in behind the Legend, preventing Hunter from lining up his shot.
Damn.
He leapt into the air, flying upward and forward toward Zagamar…and watched as Xerxes swung his big fists at the Legend. Zagamar dodged each attack, punching Xerxes in the head five times for every swing Xerxes managed, his fists a blur as he attacked.
Xerxes stumbled backward, dazed…and then Vi stepped in.
“Hey asshole,” she stated. “My turn.”
She laid into Zagamar, her longsword a blur as she executed three rapid-fire attacks. But the last was a feint…and then she slashed with her sword and side-kicked him simultaneously. Zagamar dodged every attack…until she followed up with a spinning back-kick to his head and two more spinning slashes, at twice the speed of the first attacks.
The kick missed…but Zagamar dodged right into the last slash, blood spraying from his left shoulder. He jerked backward just in time to stop her from cutting off his arm completely, putting him on his heels.
And Vi kicked him in the knee, locking it, then spun, executing five quick slashes to his legs, abdomen, chest, neck, and head.
Somehow, Zagamar managed to dodge four of them, the fifth earning him a deep gouge across the cheek.
Hunter flew past them, still having no good shot. He pumped his wings, gaining a little altitude, then circling around. Vi continued her assault, moving faster than Hunter had ever seen. Zagamar struggled to get away from her…and backed up right into Xerxes, who tried to wrap his arms around the Legend.
Zagamar whirled out of Xerxes’ grasp, somehow thrusting the Ironclad between him and Vi…and a few of Vi’s attacks. Her sword bounced off the big guy’s armor, and Zagamar kicked Xerxes square in the chest, shoving him into Vi.
They both stumbled backward.
Zagamar rushed around Xerxes so quickly Hunter could barely follow, slashing at Vi with his claws. Vi dodged, counterattacking with slashes of her own, but somehow the Legend managed to move even faster than her. He dodged her attacks, scoring a powerful kick to her belly, throwing her backward…right off the edge of the wall.
Vi!
Hunter veered toward her in mid-flight, letting his rifle hang by its shoulder strap and reaching out to grab her as she plummeted toward the army of Svartálfar – and the writhing serpent – below. He caught her, pumping his wings and flying back to the wall, dropping her next to Tykus and Dominus, some thirty feet from Zagamar.
“We need to work together!” Vi exclaimed. “Dominus, Tykus, help me out. Hunter, shoot that asshole!”
Vi, Dominus, and Tykus charged at Zagamar, slicing down any Svartálfar in their way. Ahead, Zagamar was still pummeling Xerxes…and tearing through Xerxes’ mane with his claws, glowing blue gel leaking out. Zagamar consumed the gel greedily, licking it from his hands.
Shit.
Hunter leapt into the air, flying toward Zagamar and lining u
p a shot with his rifle. Vi reached the Legend, greeting him with a flurry of attacks…all of which Zagamar dodged. He seemed to be moving even faster than before, faster than anything Hunter had ever seen.
His body is stronger than mine, he realized. He can push it harder.
He slowed his forward flight, beating his wings and hovering in mid-air ten feet from the Legend, peering through the rifle’s scope. Dominus and Tykus had reached Zagamar; with Xerxes, they had the man surrounded.
Which means Hunter couldn’t hit Zagamar without hitting one of them…not with the Legend moving so quickly.
Unless…
He focused inward, concentrating. Feeling the hunger within him…not difficult, as he’d forgone any meals today. That hunger was the key, unlocking the memories of the Zagamar within him…and freeing the Legend’s mind.
The world slowed to a crawl.
He pushed his body, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, his breathing rapid. Time slowed even more, each flap of his wings seeming to take minutes, the world all but standing still. He aimed down the scope at Zagamar, but Tykus was in the way, his back to Hunter. Zagamar struck the former king in the head with one clawed hand, Tykus’s face splitting open in a spray of blood. The warrior lurched to the right…and gave Hunter his shot.
He pulled the trigger.
The butt of the rifle recoiled against his shoulder as the bullet shot outward, almost too quick to see.
It slammed right into Zagamar’s back
Zagamar stumbled, the impact knocking him off-balance and throwing off his string of attacks. Vi took advantage of the Legend’s confusion, thrusting her shortsword into his belly. He dodged at the last second, the blade piercing his right flank.
Zagamar kicked Vi in the crotch, shoving her – and her blade – back with his heel. Tykus, his face bloodied by Zagamar’s claws, swung his huge sword at the Legend. But Zagamar stepped into the attack, grabbing Tykus’s sword by the cross-guard and tearing it from the man’s hands. He whirled in a rapid circle, slashing at everyone around him.
