March till Death (Hellsong Book 3)

by Shaun O. McCoy

  It kicked out towards Galen, but as always, Arturus’ father was a step ahead of his enemy. And, just as before, Galen’s solution was completely offensive. Arturus didn’t know how much the Minotaur weighed—perhaps eight hundred pounds, perhaps half a ton—but it did not matter to Galen. Tossing his sword aside, he overhooked the leg with his right arm and powered forward into the Minotaur’s body. Wrapping his left arm around the Minotaur’s giant torso, and blocking the beast’s untrapped leg with his calf, Galen pushed on.

  The Minotaur, still bent over from its kick, tried to catch itself with its arms. They buckled and it crashed face first into the stone at Malkravyan’s feet. Malkravyan drove his sword down through the Minotaur’s neck at the base of its skull. One Horn screamed like a Fury, struggling upwards to its hands and knees. The bullman shucked Galen off with a powerful shove and tried to strike at Malkravyan while it stood. Even while evading the Minotaur’s blow, the Infidel withdrew his sword at an angle so that it tore the wound open wider.

  Were this a dyitzu, or a human, or even an Icanitzu, the blow the Infidel Friend had given it would have been fatal. The Minotaur just snorted, heedless of the stream of blood issuing from its neck. Arturus picked up his father’s dropped blade and tossed it.

  They reformed the circle as Galen snatched the sword out of the air.

  One Horn went after Malkravyan again, this time trying to circle in from the Infidel Friend’s right. Arturus rushed forward, ready to strike but wary of a sudden kick. The kick came, but not in the way that Arturus was expecting. Previously, the thing had chambered its leg before kicking backwards. This time it left its leg straight and swung it back and up. It bent its torso down as it did so, adding power to the strike. Arturus struggled to evade the awkward blow, but managed. The Minotaur, however, seemed ready for this. Its leg retracted suddenly and shot back out. Arturus saw it and tried to slip the strike. The blow caught him on the shoulder and sent him careening backwards.

  He rolled carefully around his gladius and came back up to his feet to see the Minotaur charging at him. He acted dazed, but at the last minute pivoted away while delivering an upswing. The tip of the gladius tore through one of the bullman’s nostrils sending blood and snot through the air. One Horn howled in agony. The howl changed its pitch, becoming a smooth, even tone which doubled and redoubled in volume. The room around them vibrated with the intensity of the call as it slowly changed from an even tenor into understandable words.

  TO ME!

  And for a moment, Hell seemed to center around One Horn. Arturus felt drawn to the beast. It was as if a sphere of attraction was spreading out through the room with the echo of that horrible single note song it sung, sucking in some kind of energy Arturus was only dimly aware of.

  Then all was silent.

  The line of wights turned, rushing away from Calimay’s soldiers.

  The bullman, covered in its own sweat and blood, was hunched over, worn down from its wounds and the effort it had taken to make its call. It couldn’t win on its own, and it knew it—but it didn’t have to. Calimay’s soldiers struck out against the wights as they turned away, but even so, that left nearly a score and a half of them coming.

  Shit.

  “Keep them clear,” Galen ordered.

  Arturus and Malkravyan broke off to face the wights. This meant that Galen would have to remain on the offensive lest One Horn get a strike in at one of their backs.

  Unfortunately for One Horn, that’s the way Galen fights.

  What would have been reckless abandon from anyone else was cold calculation from Galen. Arturus’ father rushed forward behind a series of sword swings, but those were just a distraction. Galen shot in to wrestle with the beast.

  Arturus could only trust that his father knew what he was doing.

  He and Malkravyan squared off against the approaching mass of wights. The gladius was a stabbing weapon first and foremost, but without a shield, he couldn’t risk getting the blade caught. Arturus kept swinging at their faces, drawing black blood, then retreating. Drawing more, and then retreating. Malkravyan was having better luck. He was stepping back too, but the wights were dropping all around him.

  “Forward!” Calimay screeched.

  Suddenly there was a surge from behind the wights, and the soldiers and slaves were upon them, bludgeoning them from behind with stones.

  Malkravyan was able to turn away first. Arturus struck and retreated, struck and retreated, struck and . . . his wights had Calimay’s men to worry about.

  He dashed back to One Horn. Galen had one of its legs over his shoulder and was throwing knees into its side. Malkravyan was moving around to the far side.

  “We’re back!” Arturus shouted.

  Galen pulled away, sidestepped a kick and then raised his hand. Arturus picked up the red blade and tossed it.

  They reformed the circle.

  The Minotaur came cautiously forward. Arturus had seen dyitzu afraid on the Erebus, and now he saw fear in the Minotaur’s eyes. Blood poured from its dozens of wounds, dripping down its legs and pooling at its hooves.

  It’s time.

  Without having to be told, Arturus knew that their strategy had changed.

  Galen charged forward. The Minotaur had to turn and spin away to avoid the worst of the strikes, but in so doing it ran right into Malkravyan’s ruthless charge. Again, out of self preservation, the Minotaur had to pull back—but Arturus was there, his bodyweight adding sting to his strikes. This time his blows cut deeper. In desperation One Horn kicked again, but Arturus was ready, and he slashed a huge gash into the fur just above the beast’s hoof.

  Then Galen was there again. It tried to put its foot down, but the wound Arturus had given it caused the leg to buckle. That moment was more than Galen needed. His sword struck through its eye, burying deep into its brain. When Galen removed the sword it came out with chunks of eyeball and grey matter. The Minotaur still struggled on, but Arturus and Malkravyan continued to strike.

  SEEBA ALUAFI

  Its brain, it can no longer speak.

  It had lost coordination too. Aggressive to the core, it continued to strike out at them, but the menacing intelligence which had made the beast so dangerous was gone. Its balance was off as well, either from Galen’s strike into its brain, or from the leg wound Arturus had delivered. It fought futily on, striking back at whoever had hit it last. It was too slow, and too stupid, and the wounds kept mounting. Its limbs weren’t working well. They could only move in jerks, and the beast seemed to have trouble retracting its right arm. Malkravyan leveled a particularly heavy strike at its head, severing the beast’s remaining horn.

  AEEB FUINA KALLA

  Dyitzu came pouring into the room. Arturus saw them over the shoulder of the beleaguered Minotaur. Galen and Malkravyan’s backs were to them.

  They were farther away. It took longer for One Horn’s call to reach them.

  “Behind you!” Arturus warned.

  Malkravyan turned just in time to avoid a ball of fire. A dyitzu came in right behind it. Malkravyan cut it down, his blue sword humming.

  The Minotaur charged at Galen’s suddenly turned back. Galen, an eye over his shoulder, swung his ruddy blade at a fireball. It exploded into pitch as his sword stole its consistency, and the burning liquid splattered behind him, catching in One Horn’s fur.

  The bullman turned away suddenly, roaring its incomprehensible fury, falling to its knees and batting at the flames. Arturus could see the blood boiling off of its torso’s fur line as the liquid fire streaked down its body. The Minotaur looked up with its remaining eye—and saw Arturus.

  Oh shit.

  The maddened beast came at him.

  Arturus hoped his father or Malkravyan would come attack its exposed back, but they had formed their own spinning circle, this time back to back, to try and fend off the dyitzu.

  Arturus backpedaled to gain some time, looking to Calimay’s fighters and Aaron for support, but they were struggling with the wights.


  Arturus stopped backpedaling and accepted his fate. For now, it was just him and the beast. It was limping as it approached him, stepping gingerly with its left leg. Its right eye was a mess of black blood which poured out of the gaping wound Galen had left it. The blood ran as a dark coagulated sludge down to the base of its snout.

  I too cry blood.

  Arturus stayed light on his feet, coming straight at the Minotaur. It swung out at him madly, its fist cutting through the air. Arturus slipped the blow and darted quickly towards its left. One Horn tried to cut him off, but the thing’s weak right leg wobbled when it stepped.

  Sensing his moment, Arturus darted again to its left and stabbed forward.

  He had underestimated the beast.

  Even with the blow to its eye and brain, One Horn’s cunning was still formidable. Rather than trying to keep up with Arturus, the beast spun around completely and leapt forward off of its good hoof. Arturus’ sword punctured through its abdomen, but One Horn had caught him up in its arms and was charging with him towards the wall.

  Arturus pushed back, sliding his arm up to try and break the Minotaur’s grip, but the beast’s strength was beyond him. He reached out with one foot, trying to post it against the ground. For a second he felt the rubble, but then he was slammed into the wall.

  The impact was horrific. Arturus couldn’t remember ever having been hit so hard, but it was also his moment of opportunity. In the instant after the collision, Arturus felt the arms of the Minotaur slacken, just slightly. He squirmed, getting both of his arms under the Minotaur’s bear-hug hold. He kicked off the wall spinning away.

  Arturus felt something in his mouth, and it was suddenly full of bitter tasting saliva. He spat and pieces of two crushed teeth, a small part of his tongue, and a mouthful of blood came out. Horrified, he drew the gladius out of the Minotaur’s abdomen and struck. He moved backwards, his balance shaky, still spitting blood.

  The Minotaur advanced, murder in its eyes, but Galen and Malkravyan were returning—coming at it from its left.

  It can’t see them.

  Arturus stopped suddenly and rushed the Minotaur, slashing furiously before stabbing it again in the abdomen. Galen barreled into its side, sending it staggering back. Its left leg gave way and it collapsed. Galen buried his blade into the Minotaur’s remaining eye. Even blind, it stood. Malkravyan stabbed it through the neck again. Arturus came in hard at its leg, severing a tendon there with three hard thrusts. It toppled again. Arturus hacked at its body. It raised its left arm to fend off the blows, but its right did nothing. Arturus could see where his father’s sword thrust through the back of its shoulder had rendered that arm useless. Galen turned his attention to the beast’s chest. His sword plunged into its sternum. He jerked powerfully to one side, and then the other. He shoved the sword deeper in, and, after it caught on something in the Minotaur’s body, jerked left and right again. Malkravyan joined the effort, opening the rib cage to expose its beating heart. Arturus buried his gladius into the tough muscle. When it kept beating, he struck again, and again.

  The heart stopped.

  One Horn gasped and rolled over, organs spilling out from its open chest, and crawled blindly, thoughtlessly, towards the wall. One of its outstretched hands touch the stone and then, finally, the Minotaur lay still.

  Martin had no sense of his body, nor could he see—but he could smell. He smelled hellstone and blood. He could taste the blood, too, sense its tang as a nebulous cloud that was—somewhere.

  And he could hear. He could hear footsteps across the cobblestones.

  Am I like—my friend . . . what was his name? My best friend. The silent one. The dead one.

  “You were fooled by lambs,” a voice said.

  “I’m sorry, La’Ferve. I was incautious. I will not underestimate these people again.”

  “It is understandable, they are occasionally cunning. The man, Charlie, he was that way—a cunning lamb. Maab believes now that he ran here.”

  “Was our contact lying?”

  “No, he told the truth. The lambs slew the lepers, but there was a stonewight here, like those used by the army of the City of Blood and Stone. Its body has Nephysis’ mark.”

  “He has turned against us.”

  “Or away from us. Nephysis does not like to be ruled. He may play us against the other. He may still be an ally at times.”

  “You’re assuming your son succeeds.”

  “That’s correct, if Callous fails, we’ll all be digging rock in the pits of Cul’ Nahedran.”

  Arturus dug like a madman through the rubble. Galen tossed Malkravyan his sword and ran to help.

  “Might I have use of your soldiers, Calimay?” Malkravyan asked. “There are many wights and dyitzu remaining in your corridors, I want to clear a path to the exit for you.”

  “There’s a secret exit below us, I’ll show—”

  “I know where it is,” Malkravyan said.

  Calimay gritted her teeth. “Follow him.”

  Aaron and a group of soldiers followed Malkravyan out of the room.

  Arturus kept digging, tossing the stones over his shoulder. He heard Avery’s agonized groan.

  “Slowly, Son,” Galen said. “He’s alive. You don’t want to let the rubble shift and change that.

  Calista and Kelly were nearby, both staring at him.

  Arturus could overhear Carlotta, one of Calimay’s daughters and a woman he had once slept with, speaking. “It will not be easy to get the serfs to give up the weapons.”

  “Then don’t bother asking them.”

  “Mother?”

  “We must leave this place, and having more armed men will only help us.” Calimay responded.

  There was blood amidst the stones that had fallen on Avery. The urge to hurry was almost impossible to fight, but Arturus did his best. Avery’s chest and arms were uncovered. Somehow the rocks had born most of their own weight and spared his life.

  “Stop,” Galen said. “Dig no more.”

  Arturus looked at his father in confusion. Then, slowly, he put his rock aside. He looked into the mound of stones, hoping to discover what it was his father feared. It didn’t look like digging more would cause a collapse.

  What has him worried?

  And then he saw. Avery’s body had been twisted completely around. He had not bled to death because the pressure of the stones was keeping his wounds closed. If they pulled him free, he would have no legs or hips. He would die.

  “What’s wrong?” Avery said. “What’s going on?”

  Arturus looked around for Aaron, but the hunter had left with Malkravyan.

  “Don’t move, Avery,” Galen said. “The rocks that pin you are keeping you alive. If you push yourself free of them, you will die.”

  Kelly took Arturus’ hand. “Will he live?”

  Galen turned to Calimay. “You intend to flee this place?”

  She nodded. “I have another place semi-prepared. With the rustrock we should be able to keep it hidden.”

  “Don’t fucking leave me here,” Avery said. “No fucking way, man. You’re going to leave me here.”

  “We are,” Galen said. “When Aaron returns with Malkravyan, we will head straight for the Lethe.”

  Avery shook his head. “You need a guide. You can’t go without the guide.”

  “Malkravyan is the guide,” Galen said.

  “This ain’t right, we’ve been through so much. So much.”

  “I’ll leave you with food, a shotgun, and plenty of shells. Stay strong, Avery. Push yourself out a little, a twelfth of an inch or so, each day. If you do that long enough, you will be able to survive.”

  Avery’s eyes were wide. “There’s no way I’ll last that long. This is just like what we did . . . to Kyle.” He closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath. “I understand.”

  Soldiers came back running into the room, Malkravyan and Aaron in their wake.

  “It’s clear,” Malkravyan reported.

 
Avery turned to Kelly. “I’m sorry.”

  “You are a thousand times forgiven.”

  Galen pulled out some dyitzu meat from his pack, his canteen, and some shells. He picked up a shotgun from one of the fallen soldiers and handed it to him.

  “You’ll need a lot of luck,” Galen said, “but I may indeed see you again. Malkravyan, will you take him home if he survives?”

  “If he survives, and he can find me, then I will.”

  Arturus knew that would never happen.

  He’ll have no way to find Calimay’s home. And even if we could give him good directions, we couldn’t do that without making him the liability that Tamara was.

  “Goodbye, my friend.” Arturus said.

  I really am a killer now. When it was time to leave Kyle, I at least fought for him.

  Calimay’s troops and slaves were leaving the chamber. “You know where to find me?” she asked the Infidel Friend.

  “I do.”

  She stood directly before him, looking up into Malkravyan’s expressionless visage. “And you will help me as before?”

  “Now that you have decided to arm your serfs, my help will be in earnest.”

  Her broad lips formed a smile. “Good. See you shortly.” She turned away towards her men. “Let’s move.”

  They started running out.

  Kelly knelt by Avery’s side and whispered something into his ear. Then she stood and stepped away.

  “Good hunting,” Aaron told Avery.