The Serpent Cult

by F. P. Spirit

  “Well that certainly doesn’t look friendly,” Donnie tried to jest. His voice cracked nervously on the last word.

  The daunting sight repeated itself all around them. They watched in horrific fascination as seven massive reptilian heads slowly rose out of the ground. Multiple pairs of yellow glowing eyes fixed themselves on the motionless duo.

  “I think it brought its friends,” Donnie quipped, his voice still betraying his nerves.

  The heads were covered with mottled green-scaled skin. Long snouts with huge gaping jaws protruded outward. The open maws exposed long dripping fangs and forked tongues that darted in and out. The huge heads continued to rise out of the ground. These were followed by massive serpent-like bodies. Each trunk was as thick as a large man. Those yellow eyes remained fixed on the duo until they reached a height two heads above Lloyd himself—all except for the rearmost. That creature rose another two heads higher than its brethren. It towered over the others. Its enormous head must have been a good yard across, easily wide enough to swallow a man whole. Astride three of the serpents, including the huge one, sat a dark-robed figure.

  “I believe we have found them,” Donnie joked once more.

  Hearing his voice, the two closest serpents’ began to hiss. The sound was positively malevolent.

  “Then again, maybe they found us...” he trailed off.

  Lloyd and Donnie fell into fighting stances, waiting for the imminent attack, yet, it did not come. The serpents and their riders held their ground. It was as if they were waiting for something. Lloyd took advantage of the momentary respite. He surveyed his opponents closely. There was no doubt that the large serpents were deadly. Those jaws could most likely snap off a limb and those fangs were each the size of a sword. They could easily skewer a man. Further, they were probably poisonous. It was a terrifying sight, but Lloyd refused to let it scare him. He was prepared to give up his life in defense of Gryswold, Gracelynn, and most of all, Andrella. His mind remained icy calm as he continued to scan the enemies around him.

  He was not fooled by the serpents’ large size. He assumed that they were fast. It would be difficult to get in close enough to strike them. Worst case, he could use a spiritblade technique to get behind one of them. That would be it, though. If he used it more than once, it would drain him too much. He would be useless after that. Then he noticed something. There was a rhythmic swaying to the large torso as the serpents held themselves aloft. If he could catch them at the right moment, he might be able to get in a strike or two before they could bring those tremendous jaws to bear. He started to whisper to Donnie when he was interrupted. The dark-robed figure on the largest snake stood up in his saddle. He threw back his hood.

  It’s Voltark!

  It was just as they suspected. The dark mage was alive. The assassins had indeed stolen his body in order to revive him. As Voltark began to speak, Lloyd whispered under his breath. “Donnie, notice the way they’re swaying back and forth.”

  Meanwhile Voltark had begun his ultimatum. “We are the Serpent Cult. You shall all bow down before us and worship our Serpent God, or you shall die here tonight!”

  Lloyd ignored him, keeping one eye on the huge serpents and the other on Donnie. Finally, the slight elf whispered back. “Yeah, I see it. If we time our attacks just right...”

  “There you are, you poor excuse for a black mage!” a familiar voice cried out from behind them.

  Lloyd glanced over his shoulder. Glo stood on top of the head table. The rest of the guests had drawn back to the steps of the keep. Good old Glo. His friend was drawing Voltark’s attention away and making himself a target. Lloyd also caught a brief glimpse of some other figures rushing their way. They were still a ways back, and he only saw them for a moment. He definitely saw that two of them were wearing red tabards. His heart swelled with pride. He would be fighting beside Penwick knights, some of the noblest men in the land.

  Meanwhile, Voltark had recognized the elven wizard. “Ah, if it isn’t Glolindir,” the dark mage sneered. “Come to convert, perhaps?”

  Lloyd swung back to face Donnie. They nodded to each other then slowly began to circle away in opposite directions.

  “Actually, I was planning on killing you again,” Glo shot back.

  Lloyd smiled despite the desperateness of the situation. Good, Glo, keep him talking. If he could just buy them a little more time, they might just have a chance after all.

  “We shall see who kills whom,” the dark mage bragged. “The odds seem in my favor this time.” He spread his hands toward the giant serpents all around him.

  Lloyd cast a side-long glance at Donnie. The slight elf, rapier in hand, nodded back. They were in position. As Lloyd prepared to strike, music wafted its way over the field. He recognized the tune immediately. It was Elladan playing his song of inspiration. This time, however, the song was deeper, richer, as if coming from two instruments instead of one. Lloyd did not look but could only assume that Shalla had joined in to accompany the bard.

  Voltark turned toward the stage. “Ah, and, of course, Elladan. Playing a dirge for your friends no doubt? You might as well. You’ll all soon be dead!” The dark mage laughed maniacally at his own joke.

  Lloyd paid him little heed. He was intently watching the huge serpent in front of him. He carefully timed the rhythmic motions of the creature.

  There!

  Lloyd swiftly launched himself forward. He covered the few yards between himself and the creature before it could react. As the huge head swung down to catch him, he slipped under it and slashed with his burning blade. The black metal of his sword sank deep into the serpent’s exposed underbelly, effortlessly slicing through the exposed skin. Dark blood spurted from the sizzling wound as the creature rocked back violently. Its head went flying up into the air, leaving it wide open for a second attack.

  Lloyd had been prepared to dodge out of the way but instead took advantage of the situation. He spun around and sliced deep again into the wounded creature with the same dark blade. He caught the beast in almost the same exact place, practically slicing its huge torso in half. Lloyd jumped back. He watched the huge serpent wobble wildly as its split torso hung in the air. Then it collapsed in a heap. Dark blood spilled out, along with its insides, onto the ground.

  Loud cheers rose up from behind him, but he was too busy watching the other serpents to acknowledge it. They were far from out of the woods just yet. Glo took the opportunity to needle Voltark once more. “I guess your snakes are not quite as tough as you thought!”

  It worked. Enraged, Voltark screamed at the top of his lungs. “Attack! Kill them. Kill them all!”

  Lloyd braced himself as all the large serpents moved forward. Suddenly, the earth shook around them. The serpents paused in their tracks, swinging their heads around from side to side, searching for the source of the sudden earthquake.

  Lloyd’s lips parted into a grim smile. He knew what it was this time. He peered toward the castle gate just in time to see The Boulder come marching through. A contingent of castle guards ran close behind the stone golem. Lloyd did a double take. Sitting on one of The Boulder’s shoulder was Maltar? At least it looked like Maltar. It was the same purple robe the wizard had been wearing the last time they had seen him.

  Maltar cried out, “Voltark, you hack! Prepare to meet your maker—again!”

  It even sounded like Maltar. Voltark swiveled around on his huge mount. He seemed startled at the sight of the infamous wizard, but recovered quickly. Voltark cried out to the other two dark robed figures. “You handle the elf. I’ll take care of the old fool!” The dark mage spurred his giant serpent toward the gate to intercept the golem and its rider.

  Lloyd grinned. If “Maltar” could just keep Voltark busy, they might get out of this alive after all. The young warrior prepared himself for an assault on the nearest serpent. It had been distracted by The
Boulder and was just swinging back now to face him. Just then, Lloyd heard a cry to his right.

  “Woah!”

  That sounds like Donnie!

  Lloyd glanced over just in time to see the elf tumble out of the way of a large serpent. For a moment it looked like he was going to be sandwiched between two serpents, but the one serpent slithered by him, its two glowing eyes solidly fixed on Lloyd.

  Lloyd back-stepped and repositioned himself. He now had two serpents bearing down on him. Lloyd prepared for the fight of his life. He might not survive, but neither would he back down. Only one thought ran through his mind.

  Protect Andrella.

  Glo stood on top of the table, watching the battle unfold in front of him. Lloyd had already slain one of the giant snakes. Now he and Donnie were doing their best to hold the rest of the serpents at bay. Help was only a few scant yards away. Captain Gelpas, two of the Penwick Knights, and the Knights of the Rose were racing to their aid. At the same time, Voltark whirled his giant serpent around to meet The Boulder. Glo watched in amazement as the two behemoths approached each other. That had to be Aksel astride the Boulder, but his disguise was near perfect. Perfect enough, anyway, so that Voltark believed he was facing the actual Maltar. That would keep him busy while Glo dealt with the other dark mages.

  Those two had maneuvered their mounts outside the battle. They were now both taking aim at him. Luckily, they were not very skilled. Their motions were slow, and Glo was able to easily read them. He cast a quick counter spell before they were even finished. Luckily, there was no one near him. All the other guests were huddled against the stairs of the keep. Gryswold had ushered them there once Kelvick and Fafnar stopped their complaining. The two Dunwynn nobles had raised a huge stink, scoffing at the claims that they were under attack, until of course, the giant serpents had burst into view.

  Now Glo stood alone as the dark mages released their spells. Fist-sized balls of fire erupted from their hands. Twin flaming spheres shot across the courtyard toward him. Glo smiled grimly as the fireballs rocketed his way. He reminded himself that this is what he wanted. Better him than someone else. At least he had a chance of survival. As the balls of fire closed in on him, time seemed to slow down. He noted every detail vividly. The fireballs were only a few feet away when they expanded in size. They blotted out his view.

  Glo brought his arms up to shield his face. He was just in time. The twin spheres exploded. The blasts nearly knocked him off his feet. The entire world disappeared. Flames completely enveloped him. Had he not guessed right, he would have been incinerated in an instant. The fire absorption spell he had cast saved his life. Still, it did not cancel all the effects of the blazing flames. The light was blinding, even through his closed eyelids. The heat was fierce. It crawled over his bare skin and through his clothes. The roar of the fire rang in his ears, drowning out all other sound.

  It felt like an eternity being caught in the center of those flames. In reality, though, it was only a few seconds. The magical fire finally winked out. Glo dropped his arms, blinking as his eyesight readjusted to normal. The table below him and everything on it was either charred or melted from the extreme heat of the two fireballs. Suddenly he heard screams behind him. Glo whirled around and saw that despite his best efforts, some of the guests had been hit by errant flames.

  Dragon dung! He had urged them to seek refuge in the keep, but these nobles were stubborn. They were mesmerized by the battle and seemed intent on watching the whole blasted thing. Thank the gods for Ves and Gracelynn. The two women immediately spurred into action, healing those who had been injured. He was just about to spin back around when a sudden movement caught his eye. A figure in blue sat up in the grass between him and the others. He immediately recognized the man. It was Sir Fafnar!

  What in the devil is he doing there?

  Whatever it was, Fafnar was extremely lucky. He was just out the range of those balls of fire. Glo opened his mouth to yell at the noble when Fafnar cried out, “Nooo!”

  The noble scrambled to his feet and rushed toward him—yet his eyes were not fixed on Glo, but instead on the grass between them. That’s when Glo saw it—something red on the ground a few yards from his feet. He felt the blood drain from his face. It was a body, burnt nearly beyond recognition. All that was left was a few tatters of red tabard that clung to melted armor.

  Sir Calric! What was the knight doing close to him? Had he not warned them he was making himself a target? Now the knight was dead, burnt to a crisp. As the horror of it sunk in, something suddenly snapped inside of him. From somewhere deep down, a flood of anger and rage came boiling to the surface. Without thinking, Glo whirled around and pointed a finger at one of the dark mages. He spoke two deadly words, “Pessulum Electrica.”

  In response, a spark appeared at the tip of his finger. It hung there for a fleeting moment, then a bolt of lightning erupted from that spark. It arced across the battlefield in the blink of an eye. The bolt passed through one of the front line serpents and then lanced through the unprepared mage and his serpentine mount. The thunderclap was deafening. It reverberated off the walls of the keep in a resounding echo. The attack was over in under a second, but the results were devastating.

  Glo watched with grim satisfaction as smaller arcs of electricity still danced around the evil mage. Both serpents shuddered violently, their bodies sizzling in pain. Then the dark mage swayed in his saddle. He fell off his mount, hitting the ground six feet below. The black-robed figure remained there, unmoving. The two serpents, still alive, were rocked by the bolt. Their torsos jerked around randomly from the large amount of current that had passed through them. Glo, however, was far from done. No sooner had the first bolt hit its mark when he turned toward the second mage.

  “Donnie, look out!” he cried as he called forth the magic a second time. His fellow elf didn’t even look. Instead, he dodged nimbly out of the way as another bolt of lightning leapt from Glo’s hand. The bolt shot across the field, spearing the serpent Donnie had been fighting. It passed through the creature, catching the second mage and his serpentine mount.

  Another deafening thunderclap rocked the keep. The bodies of the two serpents and the evil mage sizzled from the intense electrical force. When it was over, the second mage fell to the ground, unmoving like his comrade. Satisfied that vengeance had been meted, the elven wizard shifted his focus. Unfortunately, he was a moment too late.

  Voltark now hovered high over the battlefield. The dark mage had just sent another fist-sized ball of fire rocketing across the courtyard, directly at him. Glo had no time to cast another spell of protection. If he leapt out of the way, he might just be able to dodge the blast, but then the folks behind him would take the brunt of the attack. Glo made up his mind in that split second. He stood his ground, covering his face as the fireball reached him. It expanded in size and exploded right in front of him!

  At first it was just like before, blinding light, intense heat, a roaring sound, but no sense of burning. Then he began to feel it. His skin started to tingle. The tingling turned into pins and needles and then finally a burning sensation. The pain grew until it became excruciating! Mercifully, it stopped after only a few seconds. Glo felt himself slump down onto what was left of the table below. Then he fell backwards. Before he hit the ground, two strong arms grabbed hold of him. He felt himself gently laid on the ground. Glo peered up and saw the angelic face of Ves hovering over him.

  “Thank you,” he croaked, his throat almost too dry to speak.

  “Don’t talk,” she told him firmly.

  His body was numb. He felt somewhat detached as he watched her run her hands over it.

  “That was a very brave thing you just did there,” she said, “taking that last attack to protect the others.”

  “You know... how much I like... fire,” he whispered.

  She smiled down at him. “Yes. Perhaps a bit too
much.”

  Blue light erupted from her fingertips and enveloped his body. He felt nothing at first. Gradually, feeling started to return to his body. She whispered to him softly as the healing energies coursed through him. “I am so sorry. I should have gone with my first instincts about you.”

  “That’s okay,” he managed, his voice starting to sound normal again.

  “No, it is not,” she declared firmly. “When we were told what Maltar was like, we decided to distance ourselves from you.” She peered down at him fondly. “We should have known better. What you have done here today proves the kind of people you are.”

  Glo attempted a smile. “We only just... found out ourselves... about Maltar.”

  Ves nodding her understanding. “When this is over, you and I shall have a serious talk. Now lie still and let me finish healing your wounds.”

  She smiled one last time. Her expression then grew serious as she poured divine energy into the elven wizard.

  Mage Fall

  See how easily your wizard falls?

  Donnie had dodged out of the way of a second serpent. That put him right in front of the serpent he had been originally fighting. He had tumbled yet again to avoid its gaping jaws. As he sprang up once more, he saw a blinding flash. It was immediately accompanied by a huge thunderclap. He caught a momentary glimpse of the serpent behind this one surrounded by electrical sparks. The creature shuddered in place. Then he had to again tumble away to avoid being chomped.