Return To Sky Raven (Book 2)

by T. Michael Ford

  “Kotoch, it’s time…” he began, his voice sounding like a neglected door hinge. He stopped and appeared to look around, fixating first on the head of his former servant, still firmly in the hand of Belrothe, and then angrily focused on me. “Ah, the Child of Light, I presume? I can’t think of anyone else who would wear armor that silly looking. You and your purple doxy have been a thorn in my side since the day you were born, and don’t even get me started on those hypocrites you call parents!”

  “Lifebane, I take it?”

  The abomination nodded and then glanced at Kotoch’s head and sighed. “Well, Kotach, idiot though you might have been, at least this one saved me the trouble of having to execute you myself. And I suppose I should thank you; at least you brought about the end of the Child of Light!”

  I opened my mouth, but all that came out was, “Huh?” as a red portal ring sheared out from the face of the amulet, and a massively clawed hand reached through, grabbed hold of my armor, and yanked me into darkness.

  Chapter 10

  Maya

  As I ghosted through the assembled vampires on my way to free the villagers, I couldn’t help but smile. I had heard Alex’s parting plea to Winya to keep me safe and it warmed my heart. I had already decided after our talk on the trail that Alex was right; whether we had a day together or a thousand years, I needed to quit worrying about the future and concentrate on loving him in the here and now. Once we got this courting formality out of the way with my parents, I would press for an early wedding.

  Winya broke into my musings, “Maya, as much as I hate to interrupt your very amusing daydreams, we are almost to the captives’ pens and you need to focus.”

  “Sorry, it’s just that sometimes he makes me feel…”

  “Yes, I know, I know; he is handsome and a great kisser, too. I can feel your emotions, too, you know. At least you have a body to express them. Now, please focus,” Winya pleaded.

  “Hey, wait a minute, how exactly do you know he’s a great kisser?”

  “Focus!”

  I took the hint and cautiously approaching the pens, looked around for Jules and Lin, finally spying two small bats flapping their wings lazily, attached to the wall above another small fissure in the rock. From this angle, it was hard to tell, but it looked as if it was large enough for people to navigate. Hurriedly I ran over to them and whispered my instructions, and returned to the prisoners.

  The din in the chamber was loud enough that I felt comfortable stepping up to the first pen barrier and whispering to the villagers inside, “Listen up, people; I’m going to cut this door free, and when I do, I want you to quietly walk out, sticking as close as possible to the right side wall. There is a fissure thirty paces or so along that side that will take you out of here. When you reach it, duck inside and move quickly through the passage; don’t bunch up or wait for others. There will be some nice druid girls helping along the way; listen to their instructions.”

  I took out Winya as a dagger and sliced through the ropes securing the door. About that time, a boom that made everyone cringe resounded through the cave, almost like it would bring down the roof. This was followed by a great deal of shouting and angry words from the main group of vamps. Apparently, Alex and Belrothe were making their play. Judging the time to be right, I swung the door open, freeing the prisoners. To their credit, the farmers and villagers followed orders as well as I could have asked for, and the first pen was emptied in less than two minutes. Focused as I was on the escape, I only had a partial ear tuned to what was going on in front of the dais, but I caught something about Belrothe’s family, just as the second pen cleared out. Only one left to go! I repeated my instructions to the third and final pen and had just started opening the door when another heavy boom sounded that rattled the crystals in the ceiling overhead; I even saw a few break off and drop. Hustling the people from the third pen out, I suddenly felt a chill, which was very unusual for me in this armor as it controls the temperature so well.

  “Winya, what’s happening?”

  “Alex just set off one of the big enchantments that he placed on his hammer. What the..? Hey, why didn’t I get that spell?”

  “Winya!”

  “Oh yeah, Alex just froze about a hundred vamps to the ground and…no way!” Winya squealed in amazement.

  “What?”

  “Now the ice is wrapping up their legs and slithering all the way up their bodies like it’s alive or something. He’s turned them all into frost statues…and now he just tapped one on the head with his finger and it shattered; more like exploded!”

  I grinned; my Alex does love his weird enchantments. Another crashing boom sounded that also loosened crystals from the ceiling and more dropped down randomly. Finally, the last farmer cleared the pen and ducked into the escape fissure. As he left, I saw Lin in human form smile and give a thumbs up in my general direction, even though she couldn’t see me. Immediately, she turned and followed the man outside. At last, I was free to go get into the action.

  The vampires standing to the sides of the chamber were locked in place almost as effectively as the ones that Alex froze as I came around the corner of the dais. There in plain sight was Belrothe, in her elegant robes, holding up the severed head of whom I assumed was the vampire Kotach for all to see. Alex was next to her and appeared to be talking to some red object in his hand. Judging the remaining undead too stunned or afraid to move, I jogged forward to rejoin my future mate. Hopefully, Belrothe would be able to control their undead butts, but if not, well I was still itching to put Winya to some good use.

  All things considered, the operation went way better than we could have hoped. I was still feeling pretty good about everything, when in a instant, my world crashed down around me as I saw a red flash and a demonic hand reach out from the amulet, grab Alex, and drag him back through the portal. With a loud pop sound, the amulet clattered to the still frozen ground, and, to my horror, I could see steam coming off of it in miniature clouds.

  “Winya, what just happened?” I demanded fearfully. The stench of brimstone in the air was almost overpowering.

  “I don’t know, Maya! It’s like a portal to Hell just opened and then shut just as fast!” Winya choked back a mental sob and continued, “Maya, I’m sorry, I can’t feel him at all on any of the planes. He’s gone!”

  I think I blacked out for a second or two. When I regained my senses, I was down on one knee on the ground, and there was a very concerned pixie hovering in my face. I stood up grimly and clutched Winya. Mentally, I saw myself slaughtering every vampire in the chamber, and there was still a lot of them.

  “Maya, no!” Winya barked harshly. “Get a grip on yourself! There are still over two hundred older, more cautious vampires locked in this chamber with us. Belrothe just suffered multiple shocks herself, and her hold over them is tenuous at best. If you just start killing them randomly, this whole situation could crash down on our heads and I will not lose another Queen!”

  “Without Alex, there will be no Queen!” I shouted in shock and pain, the gravity of the situation just starting to sink in.

  “Duty first; grieve later,” Winya advised evenly. “I know it’s hard, but there are people depending on you.”

  Mentally, I shook myself and took a deep breath. Just then, Nia flew up to me and asked quietly, “Maya, where’s Alex? I was in the back of the cave because my wings were icing up, and poof, it looked like he vanished.”

  I looked away so she couldn’t see my eyes. “Nia, I don’t…know, right now. For these next few minutes, I need you to listen and attend to business for me, can you do that?” The pixie nodded, but I could see tears forming in her oversized eyes. I took a few steps toward Belrothe.

  “Lady Honalde, what assistance do you require?”

  Belrothe gasped as if coming out of a trance, obviously straining at some enormous mental exercise. “I’m sorry, Maya, my control is not what I would have hoped for. Whether it’s the news of my family or the continued presence of the
amulet, I am not sure, but I will probably only be able to maintain control of a mere hundred or so; the rest will do as they will, I’m sorry.”

  “The amulet? Should I destroy it, then? Will that break its power?” I asked no one in particular. I was pretty sure I could chop it into pieces with Winya.

  “No, absolutely not! If you were to destroy it, we would lose any hope at all of getting Alex back. Remember, it is like a portal,” Winya said with conviction.

  Just then Nia flew up and reported that a large group of vampires was moving toward the main entrance.

  “Kill them all, Nia! I don’t want a single vamp making it out of this cave!” Nia buzzed fiercely away, and a few moments later, my ears registered unfettered detonations as she brought her own brand of hellfire down on the escaping undead.

  Swiveling my head around to the back of the chamber, I called out. “Reginaldo, close the back entrance!” And finally facing a startled Belrothe, I said, “Lady, center those vampires you value and would keep safe on you, all others will perish!” I heard rocks crashing together at the back of the chamber as Belrothe hastily called her flock to her side.

  I brought Winya up in a final salute to my lost love, and then I loped over to meet the largest group of vampires milling about angrily and trying to stay out of Nia’s line of fire. I hoped she left enough of the enemy for me to fight until I grew numb from battle but, somehow, I didn’t think there were enough undead in the world for that to happen. I gave myself up to that small part of my brain that existed solely for carnage; she/it barred her long savage teeth and flexed claws of steel, roaring a shattering challenge…I became her…death incarnate.

  ……………………………………………

  Alex

  Disorientation! I had no idea what in the world just happened. All I do know is that it’s very hot here and the place stinks of brimstone and ash. More urgently, my ribs are on fire and it’s really, really dark. It took me a panicked moment to remember that I was still inside my armor and needed to use mage sight to see.

  As the area around me became apparent, the first thing I noticed was the lava; hot, boiling, red and black lava that seemed to flow in all directions. Of course, you can’t be that close to lava without feeling the heat, and it was coming off the red stuff in shimmering sheets. Even my armor and padding, as good as it is, was only blocking a percentage of it. I might well be looking at cooking in my own skin soon. The only spot, including the sky, that didn’t seem to be molten at the moment was this small, flat patch of dirt I was standing on which was surrounded by jagged rock, making a natural arena of sorts. I was pretty sure this qualified as a layman’s definition of Hell in any one’s book.

  Further reinforcing my Hell concept was the being that had me pinned to the jagged rocks. Big and ugly didn’t begin to describe this brute. It was humanoid in general form but with giant bull features, huge sharp horns and cloven hoofs. He wasn’t shaggy like you might expect of a minotaur, or at least how they were described in Rosa’s books. This guy had bright red, scaly skin that looked like it would be more at home on a salamander or a small dragon. Dagger-sharp claws and a nasty temper rounded out the package; even his eyes, which had a solid black metallic appearance, shouted demon to anyone with half their wits about them.

  Squished against the rock face as I was, it took some concentration and most of my strength to reach over my shoulder and find my war hammer; thankfully, it was still in its sheath on my back. Unfortunately, the beast was pushing hard on my chest, and I couldn’t get the leverage or the space needed to get the hammer out. Lashing out with a foot, I caught him mid-sternum and backed him off just a bit, more from surprise than pain, as I didn’t have much on it. However, it was just enough to allow me to snake out the hammer, adjust my grip, and bring it down on his massive skull.

  The beast roared and drew back, allowing me a chance to breath. Yeah, it’s a demon all right, as I got a look at his entire body, which was as wide as a wagon bed. In perspective, he was also about three feet taller than me in my armor. Huge muscles like steel wire rippled across his chest and arms as he reached for me again. I swished the war hammer experimentally past his face to keep him from charging while I scanned the ground for my shield. Crap! That’s when I remembered I had rested it against the dais when I snapped the amulet from Kotoch’s neck and held it up to examine it. Well, that took away probably sixty percent or more of my defense. On the bright side, the demon didn’t appear to have anything but natural weapons so I wouldn’t have to worry about swords or axes. Sparring with Maya gave me a pretty good concept of how to use superior maneuverability as both an offense and defense, but that doesn’t mean I practiced it.

  I mentally kicked myself for using my hammer’s most powerful enchantment on a bunch of vampires, but I had to concede that I really hadn’t expected to be demon fighting right now. Sadly the enchantment, while very powerful, also requires a long time to recharge, so having it ready for the demon was probably out of the question unless this battle lasted more than twenty-four hours…very doubtful! Thankfully, it still had the magic to do its normal attacks.

  The bull creature seemed to think it had given me long enough to collect my thoughts. It pawed the ground a few times with its massive hoofs, snorted huge gouts of steam from its nostrils, and charged. Just before he reached me, he lowered his head and rammed me in the chest, driving me back again against the stone wall. This time, I heard stone crack and gravel fell at my feet. The pressure against my chest returned, as did the inability to breath, and I registered a faint trickling of warm liquid running down my side.

  Flipping my hammer head over, I did my best to hit him with the sharp spike and succeeded in ripping a ragged hole in his shoulder which gave him pause and backed him off again. Going on the offensive, I ducked low and swung through, striking a two-handed shot to his left hock, awarding me a satisfying sound of bone shattering. With a deafening roar, he limped backward, faltering. But before I could press my advantage, the beast straightened up and I could see all his injuries healing almost instantly.

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I complained bitterly, as he rushed me again, horns lowered. This time I was able to dodge out of the way and deliver a sharp crack to the side of his head, which made him shake his skull angrily, but otherwise had no real effect. I really need a bigger hammer!

  We danced like this for probably thirty minutes before the realization hit me that I seemed to be tiring but the demon didn’t. Additionally, the pain in my ribs was intensifying and my breathing was sounding more ragged by the minute. I coughed and felt something warm and coppery in my mouth; I noted a design flaw in my armor, sealed up as I was, there wasn’t any way to spit properly.

  The thought did cross my mind that this could be the end of the Child of Light after all; my father did say that the universe loved balance above all things. Never seeing Rosa, Nia, Darroth and the rest of my friends again was a bitter pill that I contemplated as I dodged yet another charge. This time the creature was devious, he pulled up his bull rush at the last moment and managed to plant a monstrous fist against the side of my helm. The armor did its job, but the whiplash effect on my brain made my vision go spotty for a few seconds. I backed up and tripped, falling backwards just as he followed up with a blind rush. Suddenly meeting no resistance, he ran right over the top of me, his momentum carrying him straight into a pool of lava!

  I scrambled to get back on my feet and spun, hoping to see him boiling in his own juices. But the bull just stood up, casually walked out of the fiery mess like it was a warm bath, and shook himself off like a big dog. I could have sworn I saw a sheepish grin cross his ugly face as he reset his stance to fly at me again.

  Okay, I was getting seriously tired now. Normally, the suit’s properties and lightness made wearing it a joy. But the heat was seriously overloading its ability to keep me cool, and I could feel sweat or something else soaking through my leather undersuit in buckets. If something positive didn’t
happen soon, I would never see Maya again! Damn, I was consciously trying to not think about my dark elf through all this but, obviously, I was failing.

  Another bull rush caught me in the side and crushed me against the rocks; this time, it felt like more ribs were damaged, and every time I moved, bone grated on bone. I feebly smacked the bull on the pastern with the sharp edge of the hammer head and watched him hop backwards in a rage, but only for a second before he was back at me. I dodged and ran to the side to give myself more room. As I looked back, I noticed the footprints I had just left had a decidedly bloody red tinge to them.

  If the damn universe loves balance so much, how am I supposed to kill this thing? This isn’t balance; it’s not even fair, I thought bitterly. Nothing I’ve been able to do to it has done any more than annoy the monster. I saw it walk through hot lava and shake it off! This place, this arena, is his personal playground; the deck is stacked against any challenger. So if I can’t defeat him my way, is there a way to defeat him his way? Something I pondered as I threw myself out of the way of a giant fist directed toward my skull.

  I took stock of my situation as he charged me again. I was definitely slowing down, not quite nimble enough to evade him. The beast changed tactics again and this time slowed at the last instant and, instead of ramming, he grabbed my free arm. I flailed away impotently at his head with my war hammer as the demon spun me around and threw me across the floor of the arena. Given my weight, I wouldn’t have thought it possible. I rolled over several times in the dirt before ending up on my burning chest. Coughing, I think I blacked out for a couple seconds. I wanted to vomit, but that would seriously not be a good idea in this sealed up armor. Laboriously getting up on one knee, I looked around for my hammer which I had lost in the exchange. There it was, ten feet from me in the dirt, with the bull creature standing nonchalantly on the handle with a bovine grin if I’ve ever seen one.