Taleen pulled back the string of her powerful bow and sighted the arrow as her horse approached the evil warriors without the slightest bounce. The ability to fire a bow from a riding horse was a skill reached by few, and even amongst cavaliers it was rare.
“Cavaliers!” hissed the Banthra.
The two priests gripped their long lances angling their sharp tips toward the approaching threat. The shafts of the lances were smooth and black and the steel points were as long as a short sword, dark in color with a sharp edge that sparkled like silver in contrast to the black metal. Just as they brought their weapons to bear, two arrows slammed into one of the priests, both hitting him in the chest. The magical bolts sunk in deep and the priest’s enchanted armor could not protect him against Taleen’s blessed arrows. He fell from his horse, landing heavily on the ground.
As the cavaliers galloped past the prince, their white light blanketed the area, evaporating the oppressive fear that had immobilized him. In control of his body again, the prince quickly moved his horse away from the Banthra as Jonas flew at the demon, both sabers held before him.
The Banthra hissed angrily as the God Light washed over him. He drew forth a deadly looking battle axe that was bladed on one end, opposed by a long spike on the other.
Jonas’s heart pounded in his chest as he drew near the black knight. He screamed Shyann’s name, pushing away his fear and urging Tulari forward. Jonas did not have much combat experience, and facing a Banthra as an untried cavalier had filled him with fear. But he remembered his training with Kiln, and he thought of his connection with Shyann, forcing the uneasy thoughts away.
Taleen expertly sheathed her bow on Kormac’s side and drew forth her sword as she closed the distance to the second priest. He lifted his lance and whispered several words of power. The lance head glowed red shooting forth a stream of red orange flames toward her.
Her horse pivoted at the last minute, the flames shooting by her, but cinging the side of her horse and her right leg. Taleen grimaced, her God Light shining brightly as she brought her sword down towards the evil priest. He backed away from the light, lifting his magical lance to block the blow. Taleen swung her sword expertly, attacking the retreating priest left and right, trying to score a killing blow.
As Tulari rammed into the demon horse, Jonas didn’t waste any time in attacking. His twin sabers worked independently as Tulari guided him perfectly around the Banthra. Jonas had never been on a horse such as Tulari and he had no idea what the horse was capable of. Luckily he didn’t have to know. Tulari needed no guidance as he positioned Jonas perfectly as the two combatants traded blow for blow.
But the dark warrior’s horse was no ordinary animal. The beast used its massive head to bash Tulari in his flanks, trying to get him off balance so its master could destroy the cavalier. But Tulari’s size and strength allowed him to shake off the blows, hammering his own head and shoulders into the beast. The Banthra wielded its axe to fend off the attacks as both animals danced left and right, tearing up grass and dirt, trying to gain an advantage.
Prince Baylin was an experienced warrior and he didn’t waste his good fortune. He rejoined the fight, fighting off any enemy cavalry that neared the battling cavaliers. It wasn’t long before Dagrinal galloped up to the prince on his tired warhorse, his sword wet with enemy blood. “Lord, I tried to get near you when the Banthra approached, but I was surrounded by enemies,” the weary warrior said as the chaos of battle whirled around them.
“Thankfully the cavaliers intervened. I could not even move against that abomination,” the prince replied as he scanned the battle field.
Both men pivoted their warhorses back and forth as they spoke, ready to attack their foes and hoping the cavaliers had changed the tide of battle in their favor.
Things were looking better. The center was holding, although the prince was not sure how. The cavaliers had given the men a jolt of hope and the fighting seemed to be swinging in their favor.
“Is that Jonas?” asked Dagrinal in astonishment.
“I don’t know. I can’t tell under that horned helm he is wearing. I don’t recognize the female cavalier either,” replied the prince as four boargs leaped over the heads of several nearby fighting men and ran towards the two warriors. The animals moved with lighting speed and Dagrinal and Prince Baylin lifted their weapons to defend themselves as their horses positioned them to face the charge.
Jonas and the Bantrha maneuvered their huge horses side by side, exchanging blow for blow, their magical weapons meeting in a shower of sparks.
In one close exchange, the Banrtha was able to reach down and grasp Jonas’s leg with its gauntleted hand, and at the same time deflect one of Jonas’s swords. The Banthra’s fist glowed red, sending a burst of burning energy into the cavalier.
Jonas screamed and Tulari bolted backwards away from the demon. His leg was badly burned but he didn’t have time to heal himself for the Banthra quickly attacked again. The demon came in with its axe raised, ready for a killing blow.
Jonas saw the blow coming and instinctively used his IshMian powers, stopping the blade in mid-swing, immobilizing the demon’s entire arm in energy that only he could see. Jonas worried about using the power so early in the fight, as the toll in doing so could be too great, causing him severe headaches, and in some cases debilitating him. But the blow came so quick that Jonas had no choice.
The puzzled Banthra had little time to try and figure out why his axe wouldn’t move. Jonas took advantage of the brief pause and lunged with his right saber, driving his blade deep into the shoulder of the Banthra.
The demon hissed and dropped the axe to the ground as its steed jumped back from the attack. The Banthra then lifted both hands and screamed several words of power that Jonas did not recognize. Jonas sensed what was coming and used his mental powers to quickly create a swirling shield of energy in front of him. An observer would have seen an iridescent wall of bluish magic swirling before him.
The Banthra’s flames shot forth from his hands, hitting the wall with an explosion. The power was immense and it was all Jonas could do to maintain the mental shield. His head pounded from the pain of using his powers to hold back the burning flames conjured by something as powerful as a Banthra. But he clenched his teeth and willed the energy wall to hold. He could feel the heat of the magical fire through the shield, but none of the deadly flames struck him.
Taleen was struggling against the dark priest. The evil priest used his lance perfectly, deflecting every blow that Taleen sent his way, but he was tiring. Taleen kept at it furiously, her God Light gradually draining the energy from the dark warrior.
Then the priest used his warhorse to give him some time, forcing the animal to rear up and attempting to bring its front hooves down on top of Taleen. Her steed reacted quickly, perfectly maneuvering away just in time. The deadly hooves didn’t find their mark, but it gave the priest a few precious moments to cast his spell.
He muttered a few words and threw something to the ground between them. A massive black spider suddenly appeared before her. The bulk of the creature was several paces wide and each leg at least two paces long. Nearly the height of a horse, its ugly hairy head was at eye level with her. The spider clicked its long sharp mandibles together and leaped into the air towards Taleen.
All she could do was scream and raise her sword to try and deflect the nasty creature. Kormac, her horse, quickly jumped away from the attack. The spider just missed her, but several of the long hairy legs had hooked into her cape, pulling her down from her saddle. She swung her sword in a deadly arc as she flew through the air, slicing one of the legs off as she landed hard on the ground, which momentarily knocked the wind out of her. But she frantically regained her composure and scrambled back up to her feet.
The spider hissed from the pain but moved in quickly for the kill.
Jonas and the Banthra were locked in magical combat. Finally the Bantrha’s flames ceased and Jonas released the mental shield. The Ba
nthra hissed in frustration as it pivoted its horse back and forth, trying to figure out a way to destroy the troublesome cavalier.
Jonas’s head felt like it was going to explode and he slumped over briefly in his saddle, but he managed to push the pain away and concentrate on the deadly foe before him. He could not risk the use of his IshMian powers again, fearing that he would lose consciousness. So he spun both his blades in the air and urged Tulari forward to meet the Banthra with cold steel.
The Banthra drew a dark blade that was strapped to the side of his steed’s saddle and met the cavalier’s charge. Both animals came together hard, their strong bodies pounding into each other again, trying to position their riders in an advantageous position. The warriors’ blades came together again and again as they both fought for an opening in the other's defenses.
Jonas’s opening came when Tulari used his incredible strength and agility to counter the demon horse’s attack. The steed lunged forward with its thick armored head but Tulari pivoted to the side and bashed the demon horse on the side of the neck, causing it to stumble. The Banthra was forced to grab the horse’s mane with its free hand to keep from falling from the saddle.
Jonas capitalized on the distraction, swinging his left sword down in a powerful strike, completely cutting off the demon’s sword arm. He followed up the attack by lunging forward with his right sword, piercing the Banthra’s armor and spearing the black knight through the chest. The demon horse leaped backwards, ripping Jonas’s sword from his grip.
The Banthra screamed shrilly and brought its only hand down to the handle of the weapon that was buried to the hilt in its chest. The sword sizzled deep in the demon’s chest as it seared the howling Banthra. The demon’s hand also burned as it grasped the hilt of the blessed weapon, trying to yank it clear. Gray smoke drifted from the burning wounds bringing forth a horrid stench, like rotting flesh baking over a fire.
Jonas, remembering what had happened to his town, to his mother, to Gorum, the baker, brought forth all his anger and called on his God Fire. He felt the energy course through his body, his hand bright with a bluish glow. Jonas centered his hatred on the Banthra and sent the magical energy towards the screaming black knight. The blue flames burst forth with such power that they completely covered the demon and its horse. Jonas gritted his teeth and ignored his pounding head as he channeled more energy into the Banthra. He was close to losing consciousness by the time the blue flames consumed the demon, leaving nothing but a pile of ash with his unscathed saber lying perfectly in the middle.
Taleen was not faring as well. The spider scurried forward quickly trying to destroy the downed cavalier. She retreated, using her sword to maintain a defensive wall against the spider’s vicious attack. The spider, using its many legs like sharp spear points, attacked her with quick precision.
She frantically called on Helikon and brought forth her God Light, concentrating on making it brighter, hoping to blind the creature. She glowed so brightly that the spider could not penetrate the light. The creature backed up slightly, dropping its ugly head to shield itself from the burning magic.
Taleen used this brief reprieve to strike the spider across the head with her blade, the razor sharp edge slicing through one of the creature’s eyes. But the spider was quicker than anything Taleen had previously encountered. Two legs, like spears, blindly shot out, one deflecting off her breast plate, but the other managed to pierce the plate that protected her thigh, shattering her knee cap. Taleen stumbled to the ground as the spider leaped on top of her, eager to destroy the woman and the searing light.
Jonas, hearing Taleen’s scream, brought himself from his tired daze and jerked his attention from the charred remains of the Banthra just in time to see a bolt of red flame strike him cleanly in the chest. He flew off his horse and landed hard on his back. The flames had burned his exposed skin but his magical armor had protected most of his body. He struggled to stand and saw the second priest riding towards him, his magical lance angling toward the ground, the tip again glowing red.
Jonas’s head still pounded, and his body felt like it weighed three times its weight, but he didn’t have the time to fight this enemy sword to sword and he didn’t know what kind of trouble Taleen was in. So, again, he called upon Shyann to help him in pushing aside the pain and giving him the strength to use his powers. He felt renewed energy infuse his mind and body as he used his cognivant powers to lift the saber from the ground and send it flying towards the priest. The sword struck the evil priest’s chest so hard that he flew off his horse and was launched five paces backwards.
Jonas stumbled over, relieved to see that the priest was dead, his sword buried deep in his chest. He stumbled again as his head swirled from the pain of his exertions. Concentrating on the state of Ty’erm, his mind focused slightly, just enough to take in his surroundings.
Frantically he looked for Taleen and saw her fall onto her back as a huge spider fell upon her. Jonas couldn’t use his God Fire as he had no idea if it would consume Taleen as well. So he concentrated on the massive form of the spider and drew forth his mental powers one last time. He knew that if he exerted anymore mental energy that he very well could pass out. But he also knew that Taleen’s life may depend on his IshMian abilities.
Again, he focused on the particles that surround the spider’s bulbous abdomen and used them to squeeze the creature.
Taleen screamed again and that was all Jonas needed to bring forth all his mental power together on the bloated form of the spider. The pressure of the particles around the spider came together like a loud clap, and the creature’s abdomen exploded in a shower of blood and entrails.
Taleen felt another leg pierce her side just as the spider exploded all over her. She painfully scrambled out from underneath the gore and tried to stand, but her injured knee gave out on her.
Jonas stumbled toward her, nearly falling beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked, panting heavily.
“Yes, I’ll be fine,” she said, her teeth clenched in pain. “I just need to heal myself.”
Jonas nodded as speaking was too difficult. He focused all his remaining energy on standing up to protect her as she prayed. Swaying slightly, he dropped to his knee again to keep from falling. The use of his cognitive abilities combined with the exertion of using magic had weakened him severely.
The fighting coursed nearby but luckily no enemy ventured too close, afraid of attacking anyone who could defeat a Banthra.
After a few seconds Taleen stood up next to him, her wounds healed. “Now it’s your turn,” she said with concern. “You look burned and exhausted.”
“I am; I don’t think I have the energy to heal myself, my head feels like it’s going to explode.”
“Let me heal you and then we’ll see if we are needed elsewhere,” Taleen said, placing both hands on Jonas and asking Helikon for his power again.
In the meantime, a huge boarg had vaulted upon Dagrinal’s horse, wrapping all four limbs around the animal’s muscled neck. Clawed hands dug into exposed flesh as its long fangs searched for an opening in the horse’s armor. The boarg snapped its jaws again and again but couldn’t break through the horse’s armored chest. But it didn’t need to, for the weight of the boarg alone drove the horse to its knees, and Dagrinal didn’t wait to see if the boarg would finish off his warhorse. He leaped off the animal’s back and brought his sword down across the boargs right arm, which was firmly clenched around the horse’s body. His sword cut in deep and the boarg finally released its grip, rolling backwards off the animal. It roared in fury, swinging its huge head from side to side as if to shake off the pain. The enraged animal then barreled forward hoping to crush the human in its powerful arms.
Dagrinal whipped his blade back and forth, cutting several deep gashes into the advancing boarg. Still, its fury and pain propelled it forward. Just as it was about to leap on Dagrinal, however, several arrows took the animal in the side, one skewering its neck perfectly. The boarg pitched to its left and the
n fell over dead.
Dagrinal glanced to his left and saw two cavaliers galloping toward him on their magnificent mounts, both holding their long bows. Dagrinal smiled broadly as he recognized Jonas under the horned helm. He took a moment to look for his prince and saw Lord Baylin several paces away swing his blood coated battle axe through the neck of a dying boarg. The prince flipped his sweat soaked hair from his face, having lost his helm early on in the battle. When he spotted Dagrinal and the cavaliers, he maneuvered his steed quickly toward the trio as the battle continued around them.
“Well met, Jonas. It is good to see you,” Dagrinal said with a wide smile as he remounted his warhorse. “You look well, to say the least,” he added as he gazed at his armor and horse in open admiration.
Suddenly an enemy horn blasted through the noise of the battle. As they all looked toward the sound, they saw another enemy force rise above the hill. Fifteen armored hill giants lumbered down the hillside with long heavy strides, carrying huge war hammers as big as a man. The ground shook as each meaty leg moved them closer. Their black breast plates were painted with Gould’s white eye.
The remaining enemy cavalry disengaged from the fight and rode toward the giants. The remaining enemy infantry did the same, leaving a dazed and tired Finarthian force scattered across the field.
“In Ulren’s name,” whispered Dagrinal. “How do we fight armored hill giants?” The prince surveyed the scene quickly. There were several hundred horsed knights left, and maybe a hundred infantry nearby. Fighting continued farther down on both flanks, but their forces were busy trying to hold back the horde of orcs and tribesmen.
They would be alone against this powerful group.
“Look, Prince,” Jonas said as he urgently pointed towards the giants.
Prince Baylin looked again toward the enemy, and saw, crested on the hill, several men on horseback. Two were obviously warriors of Gould since they bore his mark, the other wore a black billowing robe and cape lined with red.
The Cavalier Page 41
