Arrows, let loose in a panic, began streaking across the dell. E’enna and the others dropped to their bellies as a wave of the errant arrows whistled overhead, snapping against the stone interior of the burrow. One of the captain’s men, not quick enough, took an arrow to the chest and then another to the neck. He collapsed with a sigh against the tunnel wall.
Leaping to his feet, Avin bolted out from the cave. “Steady yourselves, men!” he bellowed, his voice lost under the blaring shrieks of the winged demons. “Hold your fire! To arms, only! Draw your swords!”
His orders were cut short as he was knocked to the ground by a flock of the swarming creatures. Tumbling down the hillside, it was all he could do to protect his head and face as the beasts slashed at his bare hands with jagged claws, and tore through his armor with fierce teeth. The drawing of blood brought more and more of the bat-winged creatures down upon him until he could no longer see light beyond their flapping wings and snapping jaws. Struggling futilely to return to his feet, he punched and kicked with all his strength, but for every beast he was able to brush away, another would take its place. He cried out in a panic as he felt himself being lifted into the air, where he was certain he would face a slow death at the jaws of the flesh-eating creatures.
Fierce growls of men were soon mingled with the screeches of the devilish beasts. Flashes of steel shined through the blur of flapping wings as countless swords cleaved a path through the horde of frenzied creatures. Avin fell hard to the ground while swords and daggers thrashed about his head, fighting off the dark minions that still nipped and clawed at his blood-soaked clothes. Several sets of hands snatched him up under his arms and dragged him up the hill, back into the cavern.
Sprawled out on the floor of the cave, Avin looked up for the first time to see the faces of the many men who had rushed to his aid. Nearly a dozen men, as many as could squeeze into the small space, looked down on him. Most wore fresh gashes about their faces and hands from their courageous charge into the thick of the skirmish.
“You all right, Cap’n?” one man asked uncertainly. “You gave us all quite a scare.”
“Indeed,” Shanks said, pushing through the others and hoisting Avin to his feet. “If you wanted to kill yourself, there are better ways to go about it.”
Standing on wobbly legs, Avin grinned a weak smile. He managed to keep his composure with great effort, though his entire body screamed with the pain of a hundred gashes and open wounds. Stumbling to one knee as he took a step forward, he was swept up in the comfort of E’enna’s calming presence as she knelt down close beside him. Even here, trapped in this nightmare of shadow and darkness, he was so easily lost in her grace and boundless gaze.
E’enna placed her arms gently around him, a quiet sigh escaping her lips. Her stomach still churned from having healed Dullin only shortly before. But Avin was weak, and his men needed him to be strong . . . She needed him to be strong if she wanted hope of ever finding Kazen.
“Everything’s going to be all right,” she whispered softly in his ear.
And for Avin, just for that moment, everything was. All the pain was swept away, and he was renewed in strength and mind. Heart and hope were rekindled by the tender touch of a healer’s hand, and the world seemed a little less gray, if only for the moment. Rising to his feet, he searched for proper words to thank E’enna, but was silenced by the stricken look upon her face as she stared past him, through the whirling mass of winged beasts.
There, from atop a swift rising hill, came bounding an endless pack of snarling black hounds. The oversized beasts, though a familiar sight, made for a daunting spectacle as they flooded down the hillside. Tumbling and trampling over each other, they were carried into the valley on a cloud of dust as their massive paws pounded the wasted soil.
They sniffed and snorted into the air with pointed snouts. Though their glowing eyes were practically sightless under the faint but enduring moonlight, the scent of blood and fear drove them forward in a ravenous frenzy. A bombardment of arrows was released upon the hounds. Their ghostly howls of pain and fury shook the valley, as well the hearts of every last man. Whether by nerve or by simple-mindedness, the beasts loped their way fearlessly up the valley walls, clamoring over their fallen kin to reach their quarry.
Men shrieked as the beasts plunged their massive heads and swatting claws into the open burrows. Though their hulking shoulders kept them from being able to squeeze down the narrow crawlways, the hounds greedily snapped and chomped at any bit of flesh or bone within reach of their terrible jaws. Dirt and rock yielded beneath scrabbling paws as the beasts began to slash and scratch their way deeper and deeper down the crumbling tunnels.
Carcasses of dead shadowhounds tumbled down the hillsides as the Watchers of Halifex stood their ground courageously. Fending off the wild beasts with daggers and swords, and even bare hands, they would not yield their ground without command from their captain. That is, all for but a few who were overcome by fear, and fled madly out into the open where they were swept up and devoured by the waiting swarms of flying beasts.
E’enna was knocked to the ground as the most mammoth of the hounds lunged into the small grotto. She could feel its rotten breath on her face as it nipped and snarled, swatting about wildly with a fiercely clawed paw. Scrambling backward, she tucked her legs up to her chest as the beast snapped at her flailing feet. With burly hind legs, the hound crammed itself deeper into the shrinking shelter until it was finally rewarded with a mouthful of flesh.
A young man screamed in horror as the hound crunched down on his ankle. E’enna and the others immediately rushed the beast with weapons drawn, but all their hacking and slashing was to no avail, for the creature would sooner die than relinquish its prey. Wrenched from clutching hands and desperate fingers, the man was pulled from the cave, still screaming and begging as he dangled helplessly from the jaws of the black beast.
With a sudden jerk of its head, the hound shook the man in a violent rage, whipping him from side to side until he finally stopped wriggling and whimpering. Rearing on hindquarters, the beast flung its catch over its shoulder and into a small pack of the insatiable shadowhounds, who immediately scrambled into a grotesque battle of tug-of-war over the meager morsel of meat.
“Everyone back!” Ilagon hollered, gritting his teeth to mutter a deep chant.
An angry rumble rose up from the desiccated land, and the hills began to roll and quake. With a thunderous roar, the valley exploded into a gale of spraying rock and dirt. Tremendous towers of stone erupted from the valley floor, stretching like bony fingers high into the shadowy heavens. Dust rolled over the valley like a crashing wave, choking out the frail moonlight and smothering the land in deeper darkness. The startled hounds howled and cringed, and the winged vipers scattered as chunks of shale and crumbling boulders were cast down in a deadly hail.
Ilagon strained against the will of the rock. With eyes blazing and body trembling, he flung his arms towards the sky, commanding the reluctant stone to his bidding. His soft whispers lifted, as if on a rising wind, and washed over the hills like an ethereal sigh. Falling to his knees, he heaved his body forward and bellowed the last few words of his incantation.
With a terrible rumble, the great pillars of stone lurched upward one last time, their peaks vanishing into the fog of shadow. The sound of grating rock and crumbling clod slowly subsided. A heavy shroud of dust lingered low over the deep vale. Hulking silhouettes of prowling predators slowly emerged from the sandy haze as the shadowhounds timidly approached the towering monoliths on padded feet. A waiting stillness gripped the air, and the coarse patter of cascading gravel mingled with the dull creak of settling rock.
As all eyes of men and beast looked to the curious columns of teetering stone, and the battlefield held its breath, a smile touched Ilagon’s lips. With the clench of his fist, and the whisper of a single word, the valley erupted once again. A chain of deafening cracks shook the air as one by one the immense towers began to shudder and swa
y. Enormous shards of rock crashed to the ground as the pillars buckled under their own weight.
With a sound that rang out like a rumbling yawn, one of the great towers pitched forward and toppled down into the valley below. The hounds, who had gathered at the base of the dell, howled in fear as they stumbled over one another, desperately fleeing from the crushing boulders. One by one, the stone pillars crumbled to the ground, shaking the hills and smiting the enemy with heavy fists of rock and clay.
The last column collapsed with a triumphant boom. Slabs of rock and jagged boulders rumbled and rolled as they settled into the soft brittle soil. Silence once again gripped the valley, and the filthy haze hung listless in the still, breathless air.
A chorus of voices rose up from the east and from the west as men cheered victoriously.
Across the dell, through the stagnant fog, an orange glow suddenly sparked to life. The men’s hopeful cheers fell away as the shimmering beacon pierced its way through the cloud of dust, growing larger and brighter as it loomed ever closer. The hiss of parting air, and the growl of rolling flames rumbled nearer as the growing blaze cast its searing light down upon the valley. A wave of hot air wafted over the hills as a great shadow emerged from behind the torrent of fire.
“Dragon!” E’enna gasped as she and the others dropped to their knees, scorching flames rolling over their heads.
Flames spilling out from its treacherous jaws, the black dragon glided through the valley on graceful wings. With a terrible roar, and a flap of its massive wings, it set down in the center of the ravine on taloned feet. With a satisfied gleam in its sinister yellow eyes, the creature puffed up its chest and exhaled, engulfing the eastern wall in a furious blaze. Screams flooded from the darkened grottos as men, their hair and clothes set afire, hurled themselves rolling down the hillside, desperately trying to smother the flames, only to find their end at the jaws of the regrouping shadowhounds.
“Fall back!” Avin shouted as the dragon turned its gaze to the west hills. “Fall back to the caverns!”
Bows and swords were cast aside as men clambered over one another, frantically retreating down the dark, narrow tunnel at the rear of the cave. In the mad confusion, E’enna was shoved backward into the tunnel, followed quickly by Shanks, who was last into the passage. Scooting awkwardly down the passage on her backside, E’enna could hear Ilagon and Avin barking orders farther down the way, and from over Shanks’ shoulder she could see the red glow of the valley spilling in through the open hollow. Beyond the walls of the cavern, the dragon’s deep inhale shook the still air with a sound like that of a keening wind.
The men’s hastened retreat was brought to a near standstill as the tunnel constricted, forcing them onto their bellies in a slow-moving single-file procession. E’enna flattened her back against the man behind her as the orange glow of the dragon’s flame lit up the sky. Screams of the men from the adjoining tunnels were drowned out by the sudden roar of flames, and the foul smell of burning hair and flesh wafted through the caverns. E’enna and Shanks crammed themselves into the tunnel as far as they could manage as the black beast stole another wheezing breath.
“We’re not going to make it!” E’enna gasped, still pushing against the immovable mass of bodies behind her.
Shanks squeezed her hand tightly and moved his own body protectively in front of hers. As he slid his leg across the tunnel floor, he felt his foot strike something solid. Brushing the dirt aside, he saw the small wooden door the Watchers used as a damper to prevent light from escaping the caverns. A spark of hope igniting him into action, he immediately began digging and tugging at the door, which had been trodden into the ground by knees and heavy hands.
“Help me with this!” Shanks barked to E’enna as he strained to pull the heavy door free.
Squeezing in beside Shanks, E’enna dug her fingers under the cumbersome door and heaved with all her might, but it was so tightly wedged between the floor and the crumbling walls that it barely budged at all. Still, they yanked and tugged with every bit of their strength as the telltale stink of sulfur began to fill the cramped tunnel. Raising her gaze, expecting to see a blazing wall of fire rushing at her, E’enna was surprised to instead see a hunched-over figure making its way toward her through the smoke-filled passage.
Emerging from the cloud of soot and smoke, with an incongruous grin upon his filthy face, was Fayn Berrol’s simple brother, Gillus. E’enna choked back a sympathetic chuckle as she gazed upon the absurd sight before her. There, standing on the edge of his own doom, the hefty man crouched to his knees, clutching an armful of discarded swords to his chest, eagerly awaiting praise for his good deed like a well-trained hound returning with its master’s quarry.
“Curses, fool!” Shanks hollered harshly. “Get behind us so we can close this hatch!”
Shanks’ anxious words were sundered by a sudden roar that shook the very hills. A brilliant flare of orange and white light pierced through the dark tunnel as the dragon’s fiery breath flooded through the narrow entranceway. A crushing wave of hot air rolled through the passage and over E’enna’s body, stealing the breath from her lungs and sending her floundering backward. Wiping the tears from her stinging eyes, she fought to stay a scream of terror as the scorching torrent of flames roared its way down the passage.
Silhouetted by the blinding light, Gillus seemed almost hypnotized by the rolling flames. His treasure of carefully gathered weapons crashed to the floor as his arms fell weakly to his sides. His childlike face contorted into a frightened grimace, and his wide eyes searched the shadowy tunnel desperately for his brother’s familiar face. Finally, he met E’enna’s troubled gaze, and for the briefest of moments they seemed to find peace in each other’s eyes.
The fear washed from Gillus’ face. His eyes, once clouded by vacant ignorance, gleamed with sudden purpose. A crooked smile crossed his lips, and he nodded to Shanks and E’enna before digging his thick fingers under the heavy wooden door. With a great heave of his thick arms, he hoisted the door upright and shouldered it into place just as the flames rushed over his back.
“No!” Shanks cried in disbelief.
Reaching for the door, he was instantly thrown back by a wave of incredible heat. Long fingers of yellow flames stole through the cracks of the door and lapped at his cringing face. Black smoke rolled through the tunnel, sending him and E’enna flopping to the ground, gasping for air. Behind them, the cries of the frightened men swelled to a terrified crescendo of pleads and hollers.
The flood of fire soon subsided, though the deafening roar of the flames still echoed in the ears of all who had suffered through it. Lifting her blackened face from her trembling palms, E’enna choked against the thick plume of smoke, which persevered. Coughing and spitting, she groped blindly until finally she caught the cuff of Shanks’ sleeve. To her great relief, she was immediately swept up in his tight embrace. Waving the smoke from her face, she reached for the charred remains of the wooden door, but was quickly drawn back by Shanks’ firm hand.
“Don’t,” he shook his head. “There’s nothing there for you to save.”
E’enna lowered her head and wiped a tear from her cheek as the blockade of bodies behind her finally began to move their way down the passage. Reentering the main corridor, the group of soldiers huddled close together near the exit of the passageway. Coughing and gasping for air, most of them mulled about aimlessly, bewildered and confused. One man, Fayn Berrol, rushed desperately from man to man, wiping the soot from their faces and calling out his brother’s name.
“Has anyone seen Gillus?” he begged. “Please! Have you seen my brother?”
Shanks reluctantly approached the man. “Fayn. I’m sorry, but your brother did not make it in time.”
Fayn’s eyes widened and his face drained color. “You lie,” he growled, shoving his way past Shanks.
“I speak the truth,” Shanks swore, grasping the desperate man by his forearm. “You will find nothing but pain in that passage.”
Glaring heatedly at Shanks, Fayn yanked his arm free and rushed into the narrow passage, shouting his brother’s name.
“Captain!” Ilagon’s voice rang out. Shoving his way through the crowd of dazed soldiers, he finally found Avin leaning listlessly against the wall. “Captain! Avin, are you hurt?”
His eyes glazed and distant, Avin did not respond. Only weakly did he shake his head, muttering quietly to himself. “He’s murdered us. My own cousin has betrayed his king and country. He’s murdered us all.”
“We’re not dead yet!” Ilagon snapped. “But you need to pull your men together. These tunnels will be inundated with those creatures at any moment.”
“We cannot hold them back,” Avin replied meekly. “This hideaway was not designed to hold off a full-on attack. We have no defenses.”
“Then you need to create some!” Ilagon demanded angrily. “You are the Commander of the Watch, Protector of King and Country! You are the captain of this last army of Halifex, and your men need you!”
Wiping the filth from his face, Avin straightened his shoulders and shook the uncertainty from his head. With a thankful nod to Ilagon, he turned to his men. “Dullin!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Sound the horn. I want every man to fall back to the eastern passage.”
With a quick nod, the loyal Dullin dashed off and vanished down a black corridor.
“That goes for all of you men!” Avin commanded of the circle of soldiers clustered about him. “I want you all to make for the east passage!”
But the men did not move on. They eyed each other and their captain. “Begging your pardon, Cap’n,” one man finally said, “but we’re all still able. We’d just as well stay by your side.”
Avin smiled proudly at his men. “That is very brave, Rovenolt, but now is not the time. We cannot win this battle. If we must face these demons, let us face them on open ground. My duty is to get as many men out of these tunnels as I can. Yours is to follow my orders and get to the east passage.”
The Flame Weaver Page 29
