Simon and the abbot’s eyes widened, and Kara thought that one or both of them might pass out.
In a fluid motion, Zalustus drew his sword and swung. The blade caught the abbot’s assistant in the neck and decapitated him. The body fell to the floor and began twitching.
Zalustus turned his gaze to Simon and the abbot. He stepped over the body and approached the two men.
Kara glanced around the room, looking for any way out, but there was none. The guards were all dead, and the demons stood lined up around the outside walls of the temple. In addition, four of Zalustus’s lieutenants watched her and Keenan diligently.
Zalustus pointed his bloody sword at Simon, and the old man’s knees trembled. “Tell me where I can find the shield called Ocklamoor.”
Simon took a deep breath but did not answer. He just closed his eyes.
Zalustus pointed the sword at the abbot, who shrank back from the blade. “Tell me,” Zalustus repeated.
The abbot held his hands up in front of him. “I swear I don’t know.”
“How unfortunate for you,” Zalustus said softly. He swung the sword back but hesitated as the abbot threw up his hands and screamed.
“Wait!” the abbot wailed.
For a wonder, Zalustus did wait. He paused, looking at the abbot. “Yes?”
“When,” the abbot paused, took a deep breath, and started over. “When I was given this abbey, I was told simply that the shield was here and that the God Adel watched over it.”
Zalustus nodded. “I already know that. I was hoping for something a bit more,” he paused as if searching for the right word, “helpful.”
“That’s all I know,” the abbot moaned.
“Thank you,” Zalustus said, and swung his sword again. The abbot’s decapitated body fell to the ground and began gushing blood all over the floor.
Simon whimpered from his spot against the wall, just to the right of where the abbot’s body lay.
Zalustus turned to regard the archbishop. “I hope, for your sake, that you know a bit more than this one did.”
“Who, who are you?”
“My apologies. I forgot to introduce myself.” Zalustus mockingly bowed to the priest. “I am Prince Zalustus. My father is the un-crowned king of Golteranth. I am a descendant of Ven-stanarion, one of the last of the Dragon Order.” He leaned in close for his last words to have the most affect. “And I am the destroyer that Kelcer spoke of.”
Simon’s feet slipped out from under him, and he slid down to sit with his back against the wall. Tears leaked from his eyes as he stared up in terror at Zalustus.
“You’re Kelcer’s Destroyer?” Kara asked. She hadn’t even realized she was speaking out loud until Zalustus straightened and turned to face her.
He stepped away from the sobbing archbishop and took several steps toward Kara. “Yes,” he said simply. His eyes slid from Kara’s face down to Keenan. “Oh, my dear Keenan. You could have been so high in my counsel, but you betrayed me. I knew someone would, of course, but I never thought it would be you.”
Kara glanced from Keenan to Zalustus, “What do you mean you knew someone would betray you?”
“Kelcer foretold it,” Zalustus answered. “You see, Kelcer’s prophecy is about me and Flare. Many of the prophecies may only apply to one of us, but a great deal of them apply to both of us. Kelcer foretold that we would be betrayed. Keenan is my betrayer. Who is Flare’s betrayer?” He paused and regarded her for a moment. “I had considered it many times and I had you high on my list of possibilities, but I now know that I was wrong about you. I already know who his betrayer was.” He studied her for another moment. “I think you would kill him in the blink of an eye, that is, if you thought he was actually the monster that Kelcer spoke of, but you don’t believe that. Do you?”
Kara took a deep breath, confident in her answer for the time since they had returned to Telur from Mul-Dune. “No. I do not believe that he’s a monster, but I think you might very well be.”
Zalustus did not look angry at this announcement; instead, he simply nodded. “You are quite right, I’m afraid.”
“It was you,” Kara said, filled with a sudden inspiration.
Zalustus only looked confused. “What was me?”
“You were the one who arranged for the abbey to know we were coming.”
Zalustus smiled and nodded his head. “Guilty. When the Lady Jasmine discovered that Keenan was searching for Ocklamoor, we decided to let the priests catch you for us.” His eyes once more dropped to Keenan. “Before I’m through with you, you will beg me for death.”
Keenan sat up straight in the pew. He no longer looked disorientated, but perhaps a bit resigned. “To give my people a chance, so be it.”
Zalustus laughed. “But your people will not have a chance. They have spent the last two thousand years as a cursed people. After I restore the Order, I will hunt them down and kill every last one of them,” he paused and then continued in a softer voice, “but I’ll start with you.”
Silence settled down around them at these words and it stretched out for several heartbeats. For a moment, it seemed quiet enough that Kara could hear her own heart beating, but then the silence ended. It ended with the front wall of the temple exploding inwards.
Kara and the others ducked behind the benches as debris rained down around them. It took a few moments for enough of the dust to settle so that they could see what happening. Then, Kara’s breath caught in her throat. Flare strode through the enormous hole in the temple wall, but he wasn’t alone. Her fellow Guardians Derek, Trestus, Enstorion, Heather, Mikela, and Enton were just behind him. In addition, a dwarf marched along just to the left of Flare.
For the briefest of moments, Kara wondered what good the Guardians would be against Zalustus’s demons. Then she saw the six enormous shapes that followed the Guardians through the hole.
Chapter 21
Once the debris stopped falling, silence settled in around the inside of the temple. The only sounds came from the courtyard, as people cried and screamed as they ran.
Zalustus straightened up from where he had crouched down behind a bench. A smile slowly stretched across his face. “Well, well. We were just discussing you, Flare.”
“Were you, now?” Flare asked. He walked in and stopped near the row of benches nearest to the doors. The Guardians behind him spread out, as did Zalustus’s lieutenants.
“Yes, indeed,” Zalustus replied. “It’s so nice of you to bring Ossendar and Nerandall to me.”
Kara’s eyes dropped to the sword that was hanging at Flare’s waist. She hadn’t even realized what it was.
“And you?” Flare asked. “Did you bring the helmet of Ashteroth?”
Zalustus raised his left hand from under the edge of his cloak. The golden helmet seemed almost to glow in his hand.
“Perhaps we end this right now,” Flare said. He spoke slowly, his eyes remaining on the helmet.
Zalustus pulled his eyes from Ossendar and looked at the Guardians and the six demons that Flare had brought along. “Unfortunately, I think I am at a disadvantage here.”
“How so?” Flare asked. “Are you afraid that I will defeat you?” He held his spirit ready, both to defend against Zalustus striking, or to attack. He paid careful attention to Zalustus, hoping his heightened senses would give him warning before the other man struck.
Zalustus smiled. “I simply think that your followers outnumber my followers at the moment. And we both know that the seven demons I have won’t last long against your six.”
Flare smiled at that. The information that Kaleb provided had proven helpful. Knowing that Zalustus’s demons would be roughly human sized, Flare had made sure that his demons were more powerful.
“Do not worry, though,” Zalustus added after a brief pause, “the end is coming quickly.”
“What does that mean?” Flare asked.
“It means that my father has already ordered our armies to march on Telur.”
Kara g
asped, and the rest of the Guardians looked shocked.
“They will be there before the end of the summer,” Zalustus added.
“And why would you tell us this?” Flare asked. For a moment, he hoped Zalustus was lying. Unfortunately, he had a nagging feeling that Zalustus was telling the truth.
“Why?” Zalustus repeated. “Because I want to make sure you are there.” He waved his hand around at the assembled Guardians and demons. “We’ll meet there, when the odds are not so in your favor.” Flare opened his mouth to speak, but Zalustus continued, “I know how you are being trained.”
Flare said nothing, instead he just studied Zalustus, trying to determine if he was lying.
Zalustus smiled. “I know about Sha’al. I know of your visits there.”
Trying hard to work some moisture into his suddenly dry lips, Flare simply asked, “How?”
“You see, Flare. I, too, am descended from a member of the Dragon Order. He told me how he was trained, knowing that you would be instructed the same way. Unfortunately, I cannot access the Valley of the Ancients the way you did, so he instructed me.”
Flare nodded. “I guess that means your training won’t be as complete as mine.”
“Yes and no,” Zalustus answered. “While it’s true that I will not have the advantage of multiple trips to Sha’al to learn from the long-dead masters, no less than Ven-stanarion personally instructed me, and he has taught me all that he can.”
It took a moment, but the full meaning of those words finally hit Flare. While Zalustus was not being instructed by the ancient masters, he had learned as much as a former member of the Dragon Order could teach him. His training was not as good, but it was complete. For instance, Flare had not yet been trained in Magic by one of the ancient masters, which undoubtedly meant that Zalustus knew more about that art than he did.
Yes, a voice said. It was a voice that only Flare seemed able to hear and it had spoken to him many times before. There is a reason your trips to Sha’al are occurring more frequently. Time grows short.
Zalustus nodded. “Yes. I think you see why we want this competition between the two of us resolved soon. And I know you’ll be at Telur, because after our armies destroy the city, we’ll kill every member of the royal family.” He paused and nodded at Flare. “I do believe that would be your father’s family. And once Telur has been thrown down, we’ll turn our armies northward.” He smiled wickedly. “And can you guess where we will be going?”
“Solistine,” Flare said softly.
Zalustus nodded. “So I’m sure that you will be at Telur.”
Flare took a deep breath and looked around at the Guardians arrayed behind him. “Well, perhaps the best thing we can do is to not let you leave here.”
Once again Zalustus smiled. “You should study Kelcer more. Does it not say that the Order will be restored before the shining city? That simply has to mean Telur. Don’t you think? I simply don’t believe that I can kill you here, nor can I die at your hands.”
Deciding that they had talked long enough, Flare opened his mouth to order the demons forward, but he never got the words out. An enormous explosion ripped apart the side wall of the temple, and the Guardians dove to ground.
Chapter 22
Dust and debris rained down on them and for a moment no one moved. Then, coughing and hacking, Mikela was the first on her feet. An awesome sight greeted her. Another hole had been blown into the temple walls. The building seemed to creak, and for a moment Mikela feared the ceiling was coming down on them. Those fears were unrealized, and she glanced back to the newly formed hole just in time to see Zalustus and his lieutenants disappearing through the opening — all except one.
Seeda the Magician was standing beside the hole and mumbling while she did something with her hands. Seeda threw her hands wide, and an enormous ball of fire flew straight at Mikela.
There was no time for her to react; all she could do was gasp. Then someone slammed hard into her and knocked her to the floor. She could feel the awesome heat as it passed by so close overhead. The heat from the fire burned her skin and singed her clothes.
Mikela hit the ground and rolled, the air momentarily knocked from her lungs. She rolled to a stop and tried to suck in air, but she sucked in more dust that air. She coughed, and for a couple of moments, she actually thought she might die. Gradually, she managed to get some air, and then her panic disappeared and she managed to sit up.
She glanced around to see who had knocked her out of the way of the fireball and blinked in surprise. Never would she have thought that Enstorion would so much as smile at her, and certainly not risk his life to save hers. It was made all the worse to see his scorched and blackened body lying in the dirt. Enton and Heather were there, but there was nothing they could do. Enstorion gasped and blinked his eyes, after a moment he stopped even doing that.
Mikela’s eyes filled with tears and she began to cry.
Like the others, Flare dropped to the ground when the temple wall exploded. He was a bit slower getting to his feet than Mikela had been, and he nearly caught the full force of the fireball. He just managed to deflect it with a sorcerer’s shield, although the effort made his head erupt into another headache.
Reaching out with his spirit, Flare grabbed a wooden bench and threw it at the female magician. He was too slow, and the woman disappeared through the hole, running after Zalustus and the others.
Flare pointed at the demons that stood guarding the new hole and screamed, “Attack!” The six demons that Flare controlled didn’t have to be told twice. They lumbered forward and engaged Zalustus’s demons. The battle was a foregone conclusion; Flare’s demons were more powerful, and it was just a matter of time until they won the fight. However, the problem was that he didn’t have the time to wait.
Hesitating only a moment, Flare turned and ran through the first hole, the one he had created. As he ran, he drew Ossendar.
He emerged from the temple and turned to his left, chasing after the fleeing forms of Zalustus and his minions.
He paused and looked around. When they had arrived, the courtyard had been packed with pilgrims and with guards, but it was empty now. He had a feeling the sight of his demons had scared them all away.
A cool breeze was blowing, and Flare looked around. The dark clouds that had been out over the bay had blown in, and the sky was a wonderful dark blue; it wouldn’t be long before the skies opened up and drenched the earth.
He heard pounding footsteps behind him and Flare tensed, turning to see who it was. Derek, Trestus, and Belgil the Dwarf ran just behind him.
Another explosion rang out and they all flinched, but they needn’t have worried. The explosion was not directed at them, but instead it seemed that Zalustus was intent on pulling down the abbey around them. The already ruined temple was on fire, as was the storehouses to the north of the courtyard. Another explosion rang out, and the fountain with the statue of Adel exploded.
“Hurry,” Flare called, and without waiting to see if they obeyed or not, he sprinted after Zalustus. Flare knew he was gaining on them, but apparently they knew it, too.
The female magician stopped and turned to cast a spell, but Flare didn’t give her the chance. Using sorcery, he scooped up pieces of stone from the damaged fountain and began hurling them at her.
The woman stopped her spell and dove to the side, just managing to avoid the larger pieces of stone.
Another explosion ripped through the night. It took Flare a moment to realize that Zalustus had blown a smaller hole in the abbey’s wall. This smaller hole was irregularly shaped, being roughly five feet high and two feet wide.
Zalustus paused beside it, and Flare could feel the booming vibration as Zalustus created a wizard’s portal. Instead of the grassy hill on the other side of the wall, Flare could now see somewhere dark, like it was night there, or perhaps this place was underground.
“No!” Flare shouted, but it was no use.
Zalustus grinned at him and stepped
through the portal. His minions rushed through behind him, and then the dark place disappeared and was replaced by the grassy hill beyond.
Breathing hard, Flare pulled up. He stared at the spot where Zalustus had disappeared, cursing and frantically trying to determine his next step. He continued to stare at the spot for several moments and then he cursed one last time and turned back. His attention was drawn to the fountain. The other two Guardians and Belgil were hunched down amongst the ruined fountain. Derek stood and waved Flare over.
Flare walked over slowly, still agonizing over Zalustus’ escape. “What is it?” he asked as he neared the other three.
In answer, Derek pointed.
It took Flare a moment to realize what Derek was indicating, and then he saw it was the ruined statue of Adel. The explosion had caused it to break at the waist, the top half lying in the grass beside the ruined fountain. Flare shrugged and asked, “What is it?”
Belgil leaned down and moved part of the statue aside. There was a stone channel for the water to run through, but in addition, there was a large, circular cavity.
Flare stepped closer and studied the opening. “I don’t understand. What is it?”
“I think it was where Ocklamoor was hidden,” Belgil answered. “Zalustus must have realized where the shield was hidden as he ran from the temple.”
A sick feeling settled down on Flare, as he remembered the words of Kaleb the Magician. “Ocklamoor was in Elem, and it was guarded by the God Adel.” He had thought this was a mystical saying, but it seemed that the statue of the God Adel actually was guarding the shield.
Dejected, Flare led the small group back to the ruined temple. He paused just short of the structure and turned to look at the gates. It sounded as if a large crowd was approaching.
“Uh-oh,” Derek said, as he, too, stopped to look. “If I had to guess, that’s probably the city guard coming for us.”
Flare nodded. “Let’s get the others.”
They turned just as Heather led Enton, Mikela, Leela, Kara, and Keenan through the damaged wall. Enton was carrying something, and it took them a moment to realize it was Enstorion’s body.
Victory and Defeat: Book Five of the Restoration Series Page 21
