The Serpent Cult (Heroes of Ravenford Book 2)

by F. P. Spirit

  This is getting ridiculous. He had speared this giant garden snake a few times now. There were gaping holes in its torso that bled profusely. Still the creature refused to die. He was finally positioned for another attack when he heard a shout from behind him.

  “Donnie, look out!”

  Without hesitation, he tumbled out of the way. A split second later, he was quite glad he did. A brilliant bolt arced across the field and passed through the serpent he had just been fighting. The creature stopped in its tracks and began to shudder and sizzle. That must have been the elven wizard, Glo.

  Nice shot, Donnie smiled appreciatively. Now was his chance. While the serpent was still recovering, he sprung forward. He planted a boot on the snake’s back and swung up onto its neck. Then with both hands, he lifted his rapier high into the air. He shoved down on it with all his might through the skull of the vile serpent. His sword sank deep into the creature’s head. The beast shuddered all over, its body recoiling violently. Donnie hung on with both hands as the giant snake writhed below him. Then, all at once, it stopped. The serpent hung suspended for a moment then fell forward to the ground unmoving. Donnie sat there and took a deep breath.

  “Phew!” Thank the gods that was over. The battle, however, was still going on around him. To his right, he spied two knights that had joined the fray, engaging yet another serpent.

  Wait. Were his eyes deceiving him or was one of those knights a woman? A very attractive woman. He was just thinking he might join that fight when he heard a loud grunt from behind him. Whirling around, he saw the large warrior, Lloyd, on the ground. A serpent closed in on him and would surely catch him in those huge jaws before he could recover. Leaping off the corpse, Donnie shot forward. He cried out as loud as he could, “Hey, ugly, why don’t you pick on someone your own size!”

  The creature, originally intent on Lloyd, stopped. It swung around to face him. Donnie came to a quick halt. He now had the serpent’s undivided attention.

  Lucky me, Donnie thought as he began to circle around it. Beyond the giant serpent, he spied Lloyd already up on one knee. Instead of standing, however, the warrior stayed in that position. It was if he was praying. The large serpent suddenly lunged at him. Donnie leaped backwards out of the way. Suddenly, the creature stopped. Its jaw went slack and its eyes rolled back in its head. Then the serpent collapsed to the ground. Standing directly behind it was Lloyd!

  But how? A second ago, the young warrior had been kneeling on the ground a half dozen yards away. How had he gotten behind it so fast? Donnie hadn’t a clue, but that didn’t matter right now. Lloyd had gutted the beast and now it was dead.

  “Thanks!” Donnie saluted the warrior.

  “No, thank you!” Lloyd grinned and saluted him back.

  Donnie heard a cry from behind him. It was a decidedly feminine cry. Whirling about, he saw the comely redheaded warrior on the ground. Her fellow knight inserted himself between her and their serpent adversary, brandishing his sword in front of him. Without another thought, Donnie launched himself forward.

  “That’s no way to treat a lady!” he yelled as he charged across the field.

  As Donnie ran off to help the fallen knight, Lloyd surveyed the battlefield. Sir Brennon and Sir Duncan were teamed up on one serpent. The two knights had flanked the creature. They were alternating attacks on the beast, keeping it off balance. The serpent was beginning to waver from multiple wounds in its hide. He had no doubt they would soon take it down. Behind him, Captain Gelpas, Francis, Relkin, and a fourth guard were fighting another serpent. It looked like a tough battle, but they, too, were using the strategy of alternating attacks. It appeared they had things well in hand.

  Over by the gate, The Boulder and the giant serpent were trading blows. The stone golem swung at the huge snake with both fists. The creature rocked visibly with each impact. The large serpent immediately retaliated, slamming its entire body into The Boulder. The force of the blow knocked the stone golem back a few steps. Pieces of rubble chipped off the stone golem’s already fractured torso and fell to the ground below. It was a titanic struggle, but it looked like the serpent was taking the worst of it. He saw “Maltar” standing off to one side. Voltark, however, was nowhere to be seen. Then he heard the mage’s voice. It came from directly above him. Lloyd glanced upward. The evil mage hovered fifty feet in the air over the battlefield. He cried out in a booming voice, “You cannot defeat us! See how easily your wizard falls?”

  Lloyd started. Our wizard falls? His eyes shifted toward the tables. Glo was nowhere to be seen.

  Voltark was still bragging. “The imposter and your golem will go next. Your warriors are nothing, mere blades of grass to be mowed beneath our feet. Can you not see? The Serpent Cult is the future. Embrace our cause now... or die!”

  Voltark must have taken down Glo. He would do the same to the others as well unless someone took care of him first. Lloyd glanced up at the dark mage once more. Voltark had gone silent, staring down at the field below. He weaved his hands in an intricate pattern, preparing to cast a spell. Lloyd followed the dark mage’s gaze. He was staring at Sir Brennan and Sir Duncan!

  Lloyd’s blood went icy cold. No more! This ends now!

  He grabbed his cape and spoke a single word. “Fugere.”

  The young warrior launched into the air, rocketing upwards. Above him, Voltark was just about to release his spell. Lloyd tried to close in faster, but found he couldn’t. He had reached his maximum speed. He was not going to reach Voltark in time!

  He opened his mouth to scream at the mage. The sound died on his lips. A beam of brilliant white light lanced up from the ground. It caught Voltark square in the back. A split second later, two arrows embedded themselves in the mage’s side. In almost the same heartbeat, a bolt of lightning arced across the sky. It slammed into Voltark, causing him to shudder. The evil mage’s spell was disrupted. He floated off balance in mid-air, reeling from the effects of the multiple attacks. As he attempted to right himself, Voltark screamed. “You’ll pay for that!”

  Not if I can help it, Lloyd thought grimly. He rose swiftly, both hands grasped tightly around his black blade. Too late, the dark mage spied him. The hatred written across his face quickly changed to a look of terror.

  “Nooooo!” he wailed fearfully. He tried to back pedal in mid-air as Lloyd came within reach.

  Lloyd did not hesitate. He lashed out fiercely with his jet-black sword. The young warrior put all his strength into one great swing. The black blade arced through the air, catching the evil mage in the side. The blade did not stop. It passed right through the villain, cleaving him neatly in half! Voltark’s hewn body seemed to hang in air for a moment, then the two halves fell away to the ground below.

  Wild cheers filled the courtyard. Lloyd hovered in midair, his dark blade still clutched in one hand. He glanced over toward the keep. The crowd of guests were all staring up at him, pumping their fists and cheering for joy. He quickly spied Gryswold and Gracelynn. The Baron’s fist was in the air, and he was cheering loudly. The Lady Gracelynn, a bit more reserved, wore a satisfied smile.

  Lloyd continued to scan the crowd till his eyes fell on Andrella. The young lady waved up at him with both hands, a wide grin spread across her face. Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. They were all safe. Andrella was safe. He continued to hover there, turning his gaze toward the battlefield below. He was just in time to see Sir Brennan and Sir Duncan finish the serpent they had been battling.

  Seconds later, the lady knight wielded the final blow on the serpent in front of her. Donnie and her companion knight were close at hand. Gelpas and the castle guards had their serpent on the ground. They were hacking away mercilessly at it. Lastly, The Boulder had grasped hold of the huge serpent. Its thick stone arms slowly separated. The Boulder was attempting to rip the creature in half! Lloyd watched on in awe. The large serpent’s body could not stand the strain.
There was a great rending sound as the huge creature literally split in two. The stone golem dropped what was left of the gigantic snake to the ground at its feet.

  The battle was over. They had won.

  More cheers went up across the courtyard as Lloyd descended to the ground below. Donnie, Gelpas, the knights, and the guards all gathered around. They grasped each other and cried out in victory. Without warning, Lloyd was almost bowled over. A small blonde figure jumped into his arms.

  “You were magnificent!” Andrella cried breathlessly.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. The young lady then kissed him full on the lips. Lloyd was taken completely off-guard. At first he was uncertain how to react. Andrella, unperturbed, continued to kiss him ardently. Lloyd completely lost himself. He lifted her into the air and kissed her back wholeheartedly. More cheers went up all around them.

  He vaguely heard some intermingled words such as “Alright!” and “That’s our boy!” and “It’s about time!”

  He was too preoccupied to notice who said what. Finally, he felt a hand on his shoulder. A familiar voice spoke.

  “I would like to thank you and your friends, young Lord Stealle...”

  Lloyd reluctantly opened his eyes. He put Andrella down, but he did not let go of her. Still holding her gently in his arms, he turned to see Gryswold standing next to them. The Baron smiled broadly at the couple.

  “...but I can see that my daughter has already shown you our appreciation.”

  Lloyd grinned sheepishly. “It was my honor to defend you and your family, your Lordship.” A sharp pain suddenly went through his side, making him wince.

  Andrella grabbed onto him tightly, fear in her voice. “Lloyd, you’re hurt!”

  Lloyd reached down and placed a hand over his ribs. He winced again. They were most likely broken. It must have happened when the serpent slammed into him. Lloyd quickly straightened up, attempting a smile.

  “It’s nothing,” he told her, trying to shut off the pain with his mind. He was exhausted from the battle, though, and it was difficult to do so.

  “Here, let me see that,” the Lady Gracelynn stepped forward. She briefly examined his side. “You’ve got a couple of cracked ribs. We’ll have that fixed up in no time. Andrella, escort our young hero inside.”

  “Please, ladies, there’s no need to make a fuss,” Lloyd said uncomfortably.

  “Trust me, lad,” Gryswold advised him. “Never argue with a woman, especially when she is taking care of you.”

  “Truer words were never spoken,” added a familiar voice.

  Turning, Lloyd saw Elladan standing there. Shalla and Donnie were at his side. They all watched him with broad grins. Standing next to the trio was Aksel. The little cleric was still in Maltar’s robes, but his face looked like his own once again.

  “I would listen to Lady Gracelynn if I were you,” Aksel counseled him. “She’s quite an accomplished healer.”

  Lloyd opened his mouth to reply, then stopped himself. They were determined to take care of him, no matter what he said. A brief vision of his sister flashed through his mind. When she declared he needed healing, there was no stopping her. He realized this was one battle he was not going to win. “Alright.”

  “Now come with me,” Andrella said in a no-nonsense tone. She left her one arm around his waist, then took his other arm and put it over her shoulder. The young lady proceeded to walk him back toward the keep. The others all accompanied them. Only Gelpas stayed behind with the castle guards. There was still a mess to clean up in the courtyard. The guests cheered as they walked to the keep. A chant of “Heroes” sprang up amongst the crowd.

  Everyone Lloyd saw appeared elated, until he spied the Duke and Sir Fafnar. Both men wore sour expressions. They were clearly dissatisfied for some reason. Lloyd did not have the faintest notion why. After all, hadn’t they stopped the Serpent Cult attack? Wasn’t everyone safe?

  Lloyd shook his head. He had better things to do than worry about the irritating nobles. He found it strange that there was still no sign of Glo. Despite Voltark’s claims to the contrary, the elven wizard had helped them in the end. Aksel had caught Voltark with that beam of light. It was obviously Martan that had pegged the mage with those arrows, but it had to be Glo who hit him with that bolt of lightning. So where on earth could the wizard be? And where was Seth, for that matter?

  Lloyd’s eyes swept the courtyard once more. Aksel, Elladan, Donnie, and Shalla all trailed behind them as Andrella dragged him toward the keep. He even spied Martan running across the courtyard toward them. However, the little halfling was nowhere to be seen. As Andrella led him up the steps, Lloyd hoped his two missing friends were alright.

  Here ends Book Two of

  the Heroes of Ravenford

  the story continues in Book Three

  Dark Monolith

  Also by F.P. Spirit

  The Heroes of Ravenford

  Book 1 | Ruins on Stone Hill

  Book 2 | Serpent Cult

  Book 3 | Dark Monolith

  Book 4 | Princess of Lanfor

  About the Author

  F.P. Spirit has always loved fantasy. From the moment he received his very first copy of Lord of the Rings back in high school, he was hooked. Today, somewhere between work and family, F. P. manages to write sword and sorcery fantasy fiction.

  His novels, Ruins on Stone Hill, Serpent Cult and Dark Monolith, are the first three books in the series Heroes of Ravenford. The series chronicles the adventures of a band of young heroes in the dangerous world of Thac.

  You can learn more about F.P. Spirit by visiting his website.

  Connect with and follow F.P. Spirit on Facebook and Twitter