Reluctant Hero (The Dunamis Covenant Book 1)

by Ron Francis

  "I'm not worried. If your father falls, we rule the most powerful of the dark clans!" She turned and kissed his neck, then returned her attention to the fight. There it was, for all the headway her manipulations might have gained over the last few days, the true purpose of those intentions was revealed by a single flippant comment. He knew he would never be able to trust this woman. He also knew that if his father were to fall, he would have as much to fear from her as from anyone else trying to take control of the clan. He had his escape all worked out, although he was still unsure he was going to use it. He had to be honest with himself; part of him did want all of this.

  Suddenly, there was a commotion off to his left. It appeared as if two of the Paladins did not feel like waiting for the fight to end. They lashed out at the dark warriors standing nearby. This could be the spark to ignite the melee they were hoping to avoid.

  "What did you just say to me?" Sam yelled at the confused Zdrada to his right. Without another word, his sword was out and through the midsection of the man before he could respond. Jake took the opportunity to kill the man to his right and then it began. Ten dark warriors descended on them. Stephen and Stacy joined in the fray, hoping to get the men around them to join in as well. Lucas could hear John Fitzpatrick through the comms of the nearest Paladin yelling for everyone to stand down.

  "Do not intervene, only fight if you are threatened. These men were told by Asa to stir up trouble. It would appear as if trouble has found them." The rest of the men and women showed restraint, and held their ground. Lucas was astonished that the brouhaha spread no further.

  Asa's men were making a good accounting of themselves, and every dark warrior they took down was one less the light warriors would have to fight through to get out of these mountains. Jake had just killed his third warrior when he saw Sam go down. The Zdrada were merciless as they ended the young man's life, stabbing through his chest several times. Stephen had just sent three of the dark warriors to their end, impaling them on tree branches, but more dark warriors had now joined in. Fitzpatrick had figured out their game and Lucas thought he was doing a fine job of keeping the rest of the warriors out of it. The big melee these rouges had hoped to start would not happen. They had thrown their lives away for nothing. He watched as four wolves descended on a young Shifter, but he saw her shift into a hawk and fly out of there. She was no doubt on her way back to whoever this Asa was to let him know his plan had not worked. Lucas watched three wolves bring the Mage to the ground. These four rouges had taken down almost fifteen dark warriors, but it was now one against five. The next thing he saw was a sword pierce the chest of the remaining Paladin. Blood poured from his wound, and he fell to the ground and breathed his last.

  Chapter thirty-two

  Out of the corner of his eye, Thomas could see Abby stalking back and forth. He knew she hated every second of this. She had to watch the man she loved in a fight to the death with the most powerful Ethereal alive. He heard Connor reassure her with the words, "Don't worry, Little Tiger, Thomas will win." After blocking another strike from Devlin, Thomas could see Sam and Jake causing trouble.

  Devlin looked at Thomas, trying to find a hole in his defenses as the commotion broke out. "What is this?" he cried in outrage. "Your men break the truce."

  "You've already broken the truce twice, don't act so outraged. They work for a Mage named Asa. He's trying to get us all to kill each other so he can have more power. You'd like him." He then brought his sword down in a powerful arc which Devlin barely blocked. He jumped back and smiled.

  "Not bad, Hunter, using a distraction to attack, that's what every good Zdrada is trained to do. You're more like me than you can imagine."

  Thomas scoffed at his foe. "We may both have powers, but I'm nothing like you." Devlin jumped at him and began a series of attacks so fast that a normal eye could not follow. Thomas blocked every strike. He spun on his heel and counterattacked with a quick overhand, a powerful thrust, four short slashes and a spinning side kick that connected with Devlin's face. The blow staggered his opponent and Thomas leapt high in the air to bring his sword down for the kill. Only he never landed, he was somehow hung up in the air, not moving. Devlin must have very powerful secondary Shadow Mage abilities, he thought while he watched his opponent stumble to his feet, retrieve his sword and began to circle him. Thomas wasn't sure he could counter and free himself when he needed to, but he wanted to wait for the most opportune time to try. He had never heard of a Mage or a Shadow Mage being able to hold someone completely still with telekinesis. He could see the worry in Abby's eyes as Devlin tried to milk the moment for all it was worth.

  "Behold, your champion." he mocked, and then he slashed Thomas' leg. It was a small wound, but Thomas could see Connor holding Abby back. "If this is the best the Council of Light has to offer, I have nothing to fear. Watch and learn as I put an end once and for all to any hope you have of defeating me." He raised his sword, preparing to drive it right through Thomas heart when without warning, his opponent broke free of his grasp. He landed in a roll and came up with a back slash that made contact with the back of Devlin's leg. Devlin looked to be in shock. He took a step back to reassess his situation. Aside from the breeze blowing through the trees, not a sound could be heard.

  "Come on now, Devlin, you didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" Thomas mocked him, and then unleashed a telekinetic shove that sent Devlin flying almost ten meters. He landed on his back with a thud and Thomas was almost upon him. Devlin's escaped Thomas' attack by the narrowest of margins. His look of shock amused his foe. "What? You thought you were the only Ethereal alive with secondary powers? I've got news for you. My parents also had secondary powers, and I was there when your men killed them. They didn't beg for mercy! They fought to the last with bravery and honor, two characteristics that will never be attributed to you!" He came at his foe again weaving a crisscross pattern with his sword which had become a blur. Devlin was backing up, and he blocked each strike with expert technique, but he was left no time for a countermove. They were now almost to the trees, and they had reached a much smaller area of the clearing. Devlin continued to give ground to Thomas' onslaught, and he picked up a dead tree and hurled it at Thomas with the power of his mind. Thomas dodged the tree without breaking off his attack. He grabbed another tree with an invisible grasp and hurled it at Devlin. He followed up with a patch of dirt and leaves, and then he leapt through the now swirling debris to come at his foe again.

  "Use all the tricks you want, Hunter, you shall soon be dead." Devlin was back on the attack with a powerful front kick that sent Thomas sprawling. As Devlin leapt in for the kill, Thomas hit him with a tree branch, which distracted him just enough for Thomas to regain his footing. He parried the next three strikes, and there was now a storm of activity brewing around them. Four Zdrada tried to rush Thomas but were met by Connor, Liam, Jan and Uncle Pete. Abby and Trevor stood alert for any other attempts on Thomas.

  "So, you don't think you can win so you have your men attack. I knew you were a coward, Devlin, and now everyone else knows, too." He leapt at his foe, ducking a slash and coming up with an uppercut that rocked Devlin. Before he could press his advantage, he was rocked by a tree limb launched at him by Antonio. Liam and Trevor were on him instantly, and Abby met Darcy in the air when she and Lucas arrived to help Antonio. Darcy had transformed into a lion and Abby had now shifted into her favorite form. A Bengal tiger and an African lion prowled around, looking for an opportunity to pounce on each other. By this time, the clearing was a battle scene. The very melee they had tried so hard to avoid had finally erupted. So far, it only seemed to be about a hundred on each side. If Tor had to come in with the reinforcements, this would become a bloodbath. Before Abby leapt to engage Darcy, several Paladins, Zdrada, Shadow Mages and Mages fought their way into positions between them. They each had to settle for fighting another foe, for now.

  Thomas shook the cobwebs loose from the tree that hit him, and he noticed Devlin and three of h
is men headed right for him. He noticed that all of his people were engaged and wondered how that was possible with the eight his team had dispatched and the fifteen Sam and Jake had killed. Devlin brought more than a hundred men, he realized. He didn't know why this surprised him, but somehow it still made him angry. He called into his comms, "John, Devlin has more than a hundred. We should have them outnumbered, but we don't."

  "No problem," John replied. "We still have the snipers. Those Zdrada will never reach you and we'll thin their ranks until it's even."

  "Thanks, John," He marveled at the efficiency off the snipers. In a matter of moments, the three Zdrada Devlin had in tow as well as several other dark warriors just dropped. The snipers must have silencers or something. Leave it to Gunter to have the best toys. Devlin didn't notice at first when he leapt for Thomas.

  "Now, you die, Hunter." He looked almost surprised when Thomas parried his attempt and no other sword came into play. "What, where—?"

  "Are your men?" Thomas finished with a scowl. "They're dead, because my people are better than yours." He let loose a frightening barrage of strikes, and he once again had Devlin on the defensive. Devlin looked around and Thomas was right, the light warriors had begun to dominate the theatre.

  "Snipers, open fire," Devlin yelled into his comms. Nothing happened so he repeated his order. "I said, open fire."

  "They can't hear you, our snipers killed them." As if on cue, several more Dark warriors dropped. Some of the Zdrada were able to block the bullets with their swords and a couple Mages made the bullets miss, but several still went down. "Don't worry, Devlin, our snipers are under orders to level the playing field, no more. They are only shooting the extra people you brought. After all, fair's fair."

  "I shall enjoy wiping that smug look off your face, Hunter." He attacked again while the battle raged on all around them. Paladins, Shifters and Mages locked in combat with Zdrada, Shadow Mages and Dark Shifters throughout the clearing and in the woods. If the sky cleared up and any satellites that didn't belong to Gunter were to look this way, they would be witness to an Ethereal struggle that hadn't played out on this scale in thousands of years.

  Larger forces of dark warriors began arriving signifying that Devlin had broken his word again. Tor Stevenson was not far behind with the Light Council's reinforcements. Snipers were taking down dark warriors at a pretty good rate, but Dark Shifters now had eagle eyes on many of them and Zdrada were moving in stealth towards the peaks to try and deal with the threats. The scene had degenerated into chaos, and in the middle of it all, Thomas and Devlin still fought. They were very evenly matched and both continued to struggle to get the upper hand. Some of Devlin's men had brought machine guns, and while many of the Paladins were good enough to fend off the assault, many were not. The light forces were outnumbered almost two to one, but then the rest of Tor's men arrived over the west ridge with their own heavy weapons, and began to strafe the dark forces. Devlin's dark forces may have had more men, but Gunter's tech evened the odds. Grenades began being launched as the chaos grew and still, Thomas and Devlin fought.

  "It must be frustrating, watching your plans die before your eyes," Thomas taunted. "You thought you had it all planned out, but we planned for your betrayal and it looks like our countermeasures have been more than effective. Even if you win, how will you still have the resources necessary to complete your insane plan for domination?"

  "It matters not, soon you will be dead, and your precious Council with you. I was destined to rule, and you will not stop me."

  Just then, John's voice came over the comms, "I've just gotten word that an attempt has been made on all six members of the council. Devlin's assassins failed, however. Dyson and his team stopped them. Now, let's wrap this up and Devlin's failure will be complete."

  Thomas mocked his foe. "It appears your plan for the council went even further awry than this one, Devlin. I just got word that your guys missed."

  Devlin frowned, "Impossible!" he shouted. He spun and kicked, expecting to connect but Thomas had back-flipped beyond the reach of his kick only to come right back at him. Thomas thought the news of his failure might have distracted him, because Devlin's sword was out of position and Thomas thrust his sword right into his shoulder. While his enemy writhed in pain, Darcy shifted back into a lion and charged. Abby decided she wanted to go for round two with Darcy. She shifted on the run into her tiger form and as Darcy leapt at Thomas, Abby collided with her in the air as sharp claws and teeth attacked, and the big cats fought. Lucas and Antonio arrived and flanked Devlin in a protective shield.

  "Give it up, Thomas! I will not let you kill my father!" Lucas yelled. He sent several broken branches flying like spears in Thomas' direction. Thomas easily batted them aside, and Jan in python form wrapped Antonio up while Liam and Trevor hurled Lucas aside.

  Thomas took advantage of the situation and launched himself at a fleeing Devlin. It turned out, he was too eager to pursue him. Devlin stopped short and planted his foot in Thomas face, sending him sprawling. He ran towards where Thomas landed and brought his sword straight down. Thomas was able to direct a telekinetic push to make the sword miss his side just in time. He kicked Devlin in the face with both feet. He picked up his sword and swung. His blade was intercepted by the largest man he had ever seen. The big Zdrada took a swing and just blocking it almost knocked Thomas over. He could see Devlin still struggling to rise when the big warrior came at him again. He dodged the slow swing of the warrior with ease, and sliced his sword arm. The man roared and swung his fist and Thomas sliced that arm, too. The man charged him with rage in his eyes and Thomas spun out of the way, slicing through the attacker's throat, and then he made his way back to a now standing Devlin.

  In Thomas' eyes, the scene had become chaos. Antonio had barely managed to get out of Jan's python clutches and Jan shifted into a large grizzly bear to give chase. Lucas began trying to fight his way back to his father. Abby was ready to pounce on an injured Darcy when a bullet ripped through her shoulder. Thomas felt the fear surge when she shifted back to human form when she fell and Darcy took the opportunity to pounce. As she was mere inches from a killing blow, she froze in the air for a moment. The next thing she knew, she was flying into a tree, and Liam was kneeling beside his injured sister. Thomas let out his breath and searched for Devlin while Liam knelt over Abby. Thomas could hear them because he had decided not to venture too far in his search for his opponent.

  "We've got to get you to Grams, Little Tiger." He began with a worried frown.

  "No!" Abby shouted. "I'm not leaving without Thomas."

  "This is no time to take on the Fitzpatrick stubbornness, Abby, come on. You've got a bullet in your shoulder. Come on, let's go!"

  "Forget it, Liam, Grams can sew me up later. I'm staying for Thomas." She fashioned a sling and Liam helped her get her arm in it, but Thomas knew there was no way she was leaving this fight. As she spoke, a Zdrada raised up behind Liam. Abby shifted her good arm into a clawed paw and sliced through the Zdrada's abdomen. Liam finished him off with his sword and then looked over to see his sister smirking as if she had just proven her point. Moments later, Thomas lost track of her when she had re-entered the battle.

  Chapter thirty-three

  Tina Barlow had hiked the Blue Ridge Mountains many times, but this was the first time she had ever done it alone. Her mother had begged her not to, though. Her mother had let her know all the ways terrible things could happen to her, but she didn't listen. She had a paper due in just a few days for her anthropology class, and she needed to get some pictures of the inside of a cave she had once visited. There were some great Native American drawings inside, and she thought they would be the coup de grace for her paper. She checked her long brown hair in the reflection of her iPad and rubbed some dirt away from her brown eyes. She looked into the iPad's camera and said a few words about her findings, making sure her slight frame was in the picture. She had started her hike before dawn, and had gotten to the cave just a few hun
dred feet past a large clearing in the woods while most people were still sleeping. She had spent several hours deep in the cave, taking pictures and making notes. This was going to be her best paper ever. She might even be offered an internship with her professor next summer. She fantasized about how fantastic her paper would be while she sat down and began to eat her lunch. She was making notes in her notebook and referencing her anthropology textbook in the light given off by her lantern. After her lunch, she began making her way back to the front of the cave. Before reaching the entrance, she thought she heard some noise, a lot of noise. It almost sounded like... battle. There were gunshots, explosions, and people crying out and... animals?

  She peeked out the mouth of the cave and in the distance she could see hundreds of people fighting. Who are all of these people? What are they doing here? What are they fighting about? How am I going to get past all of them to get back home? As all of these thoughts filled her mind, she took out her IPad and began to film the scene before her. It was a good distance away, but she was picking up some of it. Big men with swords were fighting each other, while wolves and eagles and tigers fought as well. She couldn't tell who was on which side or who if any of them were good. To her amazement, she saw a tree uproot and go sailing through the air. How did that happen, what's going on? Did that man just turn into a bear? She looked over to her IPad, but the battery had died. She had used it too much in the caves. She packed it back up and decided to retreat deep into the caves and hope none of these people had seen her. She tried to move, but she couldn't tear herself away from the drama unfolding before her eyes. A few moments later, a bullet hit a tree almost fifteen feet away from her and her decision was made. She fled back into the deepest part of the cave and prayed none of the people outside would find her. She tried to call her sister, but there was little signal in the mountains to begin with, and none at all in the cave.